Growers call for better access to Chinese market as annual Young cherry festival gets underway
All things Cherry are being celebrated this weekend at the National Cherry Festival in Young in New South Wales with pie eating, parades, a pit spitting competition and pick your own cherries tours.
But as the town celebrates the cherry and attracts tourism, local commercial growers are increasingly frustrated about the lack of access to international markets, especially in the face of the stunning successes of Tasmanian cherries in China.
The president of the Australian Cherry Producers Association Tom Eastlake grows and packs cherries at his property just outside of Young.
"My cherries and the rest of the mainland growers will be largely relegated to the domestic market, due to no access to any large scale export markets," he said.
Overseas markets in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates are accessible, but the real concern is a lack of access to the Chinese market.
In fact as a mainland cherry grower I'd be more than happy to have the tariffs reinstated if it meant I had market access because at the moment I'm an outlier.Tom Eastlake
Mainland cherries are subject to less cost-effective export options, due to the presence of the Queensland fruit fly.
Tasmanian cherries are grown in a fruit fly free area, and as a result, the produce can be flown directly to China, where they command stratospheric prices.
Mr Eastlake said it is a stark contrast to the returns from local sales.
"In an average year best you could hope for is probably about $8 a kilo," he said.
"If you compare that to a Tasmanian grower registered for export... you could look at somewhere in the realm of best case scenario $10 a kilo clear of that.
"So for every 10,000 kilos you pack that's a $100,000 you get in your pocket theoretically with no additional cost."
Mr Eastlake said the Government had promised a review to improve export access to China for mainland growers, but that it failed to materialise, even in the face of Chinese approaches.
"The Chinese came to us and said 'ok we'll give you a trial of a sea freight protocol' which was not ideal but better than what we've got."
But Mr Eastlake said the deal fell apart when federal authorities said they did not have the resources to monitor the trial.
"In fact as a mainland cherry grower I'd be more than happy to have the tariffs reinstated if it meant I had market access because at the moment I'm an outlier," he said.
"In multiple press releases for the free trade agreement for the Australian Government they have said that cherries stand to be one of the key beneficiaries of the free trade agreement.
"Currently as a mainland grower I derive absolutely no benefit."
Cherry festival increasingly popular with Chinese tourists
But while the mainland commercial industry is fighting to take cherries to China, Chinese visitors are flocking to Australia's cherry growing areas.
Young cherry festival organiser David Newberry said the town now has Chinese characters on its street signs and the festival website has been translated for Mandarin and Cantonese speakers.
He said about 40 per cent of visitors in cherry season are of Chinese descent.
"I think the cherry is somewhat revered in China for its colour and its health properties it's just something they love," he said.
Mr Newberry estimated around 20,000 visitors would attend the celebrations, and accommodation in the region is booked out.
Cath Mullany's family shifted from a commercial grower to a pick-your-own tourist venture years ago.
She said the cherry festival was the busiest weekend of the year.
"We do see a lot of Chinese tourists as well as from many other places, it's very diverse our crowd," she said.
The festival will wind up on Sunday.