Northwest cherry industry representatives saw hundreds of street hawkers selling fresh cherries on the outskirts of Yantai during a recent trip to northern China. Asian markets traditionally have been major importers of U.S. cherries, but a new player in the Far East—with a big appetite—has altered the export priorities of Pacific Northwest cherry growers. In just a few years, Northwest cherry exports directly to China have grown by nearly 480 percent—from 73,800 boxes (20-pound equivalent) in 2007 to 427,900 last year. No foreign country has posted more impressive cherry export growth than the People’s Republic of China, and that number […]