YOUNG is shaping up for a good cherry harvest, according to grower Peter Mullany of Ballinaclash orchard.
Mr Mullany (pictured) operates a pick-your-own orchard just outside of Young, growing cherries across about 15 hectares.
He said they had benefited from a cold winter and good conditions so far.
"It is shaping up well, so far it is looking good," he said.
He said some rain in the lead up to harvest would be good, but also said a key factor to success was getting through the spring storms without damage.
Mr Mullany's positive sentiments were reflected by Cherry Growers Australia chief executive officer Simon Boughey, Hobart, who said the upcoming Aust-ralian growing season looked promising.
"We had a very cold winter across the south east section of Australia," Mr Boughey said.
Harvest was expected to kick off in some regions of NSW from late October, with Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania to follow.
Demand for cherries was strong from local and overseas customers and around 25 per cent of total sales would be made during the Christmas period.
"There's a lot of strong demand for high quality Australian fruit coming out of Asia," he said.
"Domestic consumption of cherries have also increased over the past three to four years."
- NICK HEYDON