“The market this year for Australian mandarins and navel oranges has performed strongly from the beginning of the season. Most importers were cautious in the first four weeks of the season, because, in the last two years, almost all importers have lost money on the import of Australian citrus from the mid season till the end. Then, all of a sudden, the market accelerated. Prices for Australian navel oranges reached 380 Yuan (around 50 Euro) per 18 kilogram box. Since then, prices have come down gradually to 300 to 320 Yuan per box. Most importers have missed the opportunity to participate early in this strong market,” according to Australian exporter David Yang. David exports his crop to the Shanghai international wholesale market.
“Prices of navel oranges have been highest in years. Importers that were cautious placing orders at the start of the season now struggle to source additional volumes on time. A couple of weeks ago, there were some worries that the price might collapse, but thar did not happen. At this point, I do not worry about price developments. The Moon Festival, a Chinese national holiday, will take place in September and the market will remain strong until then. “In other seasons, importers were able to make money at the beginning of the season, but would loose money from the middle to the end. We could not have imagined the market would be so robust.”
“Mandarins ( Variety: Honey Murcott) are an other amazing story. In Shanghai, Australian mandarins are selling between 480 and 540 Yuan per 18 kilogram (65 Euro). Prices have been gradually increasing. This the highest price for Australian mandarins in history.”
Mandarin supply from Australia is limited. Therefore, for traders that have not agreed on programmes with growers before start of the season, it will be very difficult to get hold of additional volumes. “Our mandarin programme will run until the end of the season, which is in the beginning of October. After that we will switch to the import of Australian mangoes in early November, as well as nectarines and cherries.”
For more information:
David Yang
Royal Fresh International Pty Ltd
info@royalfresh.com.au
Please visit us at Stand U-01, Asia Fruit Logistica 2016, Sep 7-9, Hong Kong