US north-west cherries

Cherry suppliers in north-west US say they are hoping to ship a further 4m-5m cartons (9.1kg) this season, putting this year's total crop estimate at between 7.2m and 8.2m cartons.

Original pre-season forecasts had put the forecast volume at 18m cartons, but an extraordinarily cool and wet spring has apparently interfered with pollination and cut that estimate considerably.

With the Bing crop now finished for the season, producers are preparing to harvest late varieties from mid-July.

According to Northwest Cherry Growers, total shipments to 7 July 2008 are just below 3.2m cartons, well down on the 8.2m cartons shipped by the same time last season.

The percentage of this year's crop sized 10.5 row or larger has reached 66.9 per cent, compared with the five-year average of 50.6 per cent.

Shipments of the Rainier variety up until 7 July were at 331,396 cartons, just over one-third of the 980,924 cartons shipped to the same date last year.