Japan’s MY 2022/23 cherry production recovered. FAS/Japan forecasts cherry production will further increase in MY 2023/24 due to favorable weather conditions. U.S. sweet cherry exports to Japan bounce back in MY 2023/24 buoyed by tariff elimination and recovered U.S. production. FAS/Japan expects Japan’s nectarine production and imports to remain flat.
Production
In MY 2022/23, Japan increased cherry production by 22.9 percent to 16,100 metric tons (MT) compared to the previous MY. This production increase stems primarily from the recovery in Yamagata production, which represents 77 percent of the national production. Yamagata prefecture had a historically poor production in MY 2021/22 due to frost damage.
Despite several frost events again in March and April of 2023 in Yamagata, farmers were able to minimize the frost damage and successfully saved a significant number of fruit sets. Furthermore, Yamagata enjoyed favorable weather after the flowering in 2023. Post forecasts Japan’s total cherry production to increase by additional 9.3 percent to 17,600 MT.
