Premium Japanese cherries bring USD 11K+ a box in first auctions of 2026

Dhaka: Premium "Sato Nishiki" cherries from the Yamagata prefecture brought record prices during the year's first auctions on January 5. The record prices include JPY 1.8 million, equivalent to USD 11,500, for a box and more than JPY 26,000, equivalent to USD 166, for every piece.

The auctions were held in the city of Tendo in northeastern Yamagata prefecture, the country's main cherry-producing region. The event also sold a 68-cherry box for a record JPY 1.55 million, equivalent to USD 9,500.

In Japan, cherries typically peak in early summer. But the Japanese farmers advanced the harvest with "ultra-forced" cultivation. A method that chills trees to stimulate winter prior to keeping them in greenhouses.

JA Tendo Foods, a Japanese food production and processing company, won the top bid in Tendo. A spokesperson for the company said production was difficult this year as weather remained unstable throughout the season. JA Tendo plans to sell the cherries online.

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