According to 2012 Faostat data, practically one in two (49% to be exact) of the apples grown on Earth are produced in China. The data presented by Yuan Yongbing, professor at the Agricultural university of Quingdao (Shandong, China), talk about 3.32 million hectares producing 1.88 million tons a year in the early 2000s and which have since reached 39.5 million tons, figures well above those of the other leading producers.
Apple processing in a modern Chinese plant.
Consumption is also increasing, especially for what concerns the fresh product. The Fuji variety represents 71% of Chinese apples. According to Yongbing, who intervened on 8th June in Bolzano during Interpoma International (event dedicated to the next edition of Interpoma), the data also showed something more.
Yuan Yongbing, from Quingdao University, during Interpoma International. (Photo source: Facebook - Interpoma)
Chinese apple cultivation stems from a fragmented model based on "old-fashioned" orchards. Half of them covers less than 0.7 hectares. In addition, over the next few years, 40% of them will have to be replanted because the existing ones are now quite old. What is more, machines cannot be used in 80% of the orchards because either there are too many plants or they are too tall.
Another element is the fact that an apple orchard revolution is underway. Cultivated hectares are indeed increasing, but their concentration is growing too. For example, in the Weihai province part of the Shandong region, 90% of the oldest orchards covers less than 3 thousand sq m, 6% covers between 3 thousand sq m and 2 hectares, 3.6% covers between 2 and 5 hectares and only 0.4% covers more than 5 hectares (though the majority still covers below 10 hectares). This does not apply to the most recent orchards - only 9% covers less than 2 hectares, 25% covers between 2 and 5 hectares, 30% covers between 5 and 10 hectares, 15% covers between 10 and 20 hectares, 10% covers between 20 and 50 hectares, 6% covers between 50 and 70 hectares and 5% covers over 70 hectares.
A moment during Interpoma International. (Photo source: Facebook - Interpoma)
In addition, China is increasingly oriented towards dwarfing rootstocks for lower trees more suitable for machines, which would also lead to a reduction in labour costs, as they currently represent 65% of the total production costs for Chinese apples. An example of this revolution is Shandonwg - in 2014, 9.3 million tons were cultivated on 904 thousand hectares. 90% of these had no protection against hail, frost and birds, less than 20% had irrigation plants and less than 30% employed machines.
Investments made have the objective of cultivating 400 thousand hectares of apples producing 12 million tons by 2020. New cultivation techniques and dwarfed rootstocks will enable the use of machinery in half of the orchards to lower labour costs by 15%, use half the water, and lower the use of pesticides and chemicals by 30%.
Apples being packaged in a modern Chinese plant.
During Interpoma International, Yongbing explained that producers are looking for new technologies and know-how and that, even though exporting apples from Italy to China is still forbidden as there is no bilateral agreement, the restriction does not apply to processing machinery, as 70% has to be imported. Atomizers and mechanical mowers are increasingly popular and the leading producers are looking for Italian products and machines.