The "mid-April cold spell" of 2018 has caused much harm to many kinds of deciduous fruit trees in the northern provinces of China during flowering season. The most severe damage was done to cherry trees. Datian large cherries from Luoyang in Henan took the lead in early April of this year when they ripened and entered the market. Since then, the production volume's decreased by more than 70% in comparison with the same period last year. Online traders have seriously delayed their deliveries and even cancelled orders because the supply volume is insufficient. The price of Datian large cherries increased by 3-5 yuan [0.47 to 0.78 USD] per 0.5 kg as a result of decreased production volume.

While the open-field cherry orchards have suffered from the cold spell, the greenhouse cherry orchards have increased their surface area and production volumes. The overall production volume of greenhouse cherries increased by around 30%. The product quality of imported cherries is relatively poor this year. Traders keep the price of imported cherries low to avoid throwing them away. This coincides with the arrival of early-season greenhouse cherries from Dalian. The price of Dalian cherries suffers from the low price of imported cherries.

The harvest and retail season of Datian cherries begins in early season, between late April and mid-May, goes through mid-season, between mid-May and early June, and finishes in late season, between early June and late June. Early season has already passed and mid-season just began. Cherry production in Yantai is on schedule this year and the production volume is similar to last year. The fruit is expected to be bigger this year and the product quality better than last year. The price will therefore be slightly higher than in the same period last year.