Australia: Stone Fruit Annual

Stone fruit production in Australia is forecast to increase in marketing year (MY) 2021/22, following a MY 2020/21 season that was impacted by a shortage of labor supply at harvest and export freight logistics challenges borne about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cherry production is forecast to increase by 11 percent, and peaches and nectarines by five percent. Increases in production coupled with an expectation of a moderate improvement in labor availability for harvest, and a slight easing of export freight challenges, is anticipated to result in an increase in exports of cherries by 17 percent and 15 percent for peaches and nectarines.