B.C. Tree Fruits reports it is expecting a 7.5 million pound cherry crop this season, almost double the size of last year’s crop.
B.C. cherries are now available and 25 to 30 percent of the crop will be designated for export.
The industry also received positive news two weeks ago when results from a trade mission to China yielded an agreement for unimpeded access of B.C. cherries into China. Up to $20 million in additional revenue could result.
B.C. agriculture minister Norm Letnick said in a news release that the province shipped almost $4 million worth of cherries to China in 2013, the first time it had done so.
Letnick said the trade mission also fostered plans to export fresh B.C. blueberries to China, which could be worth $65 million per year once implemented.
