China: Quality lacks behind in growing kiwifruit industry

"In the past few years, the total production quantity of Jiangxi kiwis have been growing year after year. Because of the expansion of the traditional production areas and the addition of new production areas, in the next three years, the kiwi production quantity will keep growing rapidly. In 2020, it will most likely be 2 to 2.5 times as big as it is now," said Mr. Deng from Jiangxi Feile Qiguo Agricultural Development Co Ltd.

"In the past four years, the Chinese kiwi market has been in a slump. 80% of the companies are making a loss. This year's kiwi price remains low, reaching around 35 yuan per tray. This is mainly because, even though the supply has been growing year on year, there are not enough high quality products to satisfy the demand on the market. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, in order to take over the market, many farmers harvest rather early, which leads to low quality products on the market. Secondly, to increase the production quantity, farmers are starting production in areas that are not suitable for kiwi production. Furthermore, on a market that is flooded with products of questionable quality, consumers cannot see the difference, making retailers feel more and more pessimistic about the Chinese kiwi market. It is estimated that in 2018, when the shortage of products will be eliminated from the market, and the consumer has more knowledge about kiwi quality, the price will rise."

"Our company is located in Nanchang and Yichuan in Jiangxi province. In Yichuan, we have two separate kiwi production sites of 250 hectares (2500 mu) in production and 400 hectares (4000 mu) under construction. Currently, our total production area is 500 hectares (5000 mu). We mainly produce yellow kiwis, such as Jinyan kiwis. This year, if there is no extreme weather, the harvest in Jiangxi will start around 15 October, and end 15 November. The total supply period will last until May next year. This season we will have 1.1 to 1.3 million trays. Next year, this will increase by 20%."

"In 2013, we started by distributing kiwis. From 2016, we have been supplying kiwis under our own brands, such as "Feile" and "Phoenix", through traditional sales channels, our own WeChat account, and micro businesses and e-commerce retailers. In 2017, the sales of our own brand through e-commerce platforms will be 30% of our entire sales. Our main target market is now East China, with Shanghai as the pivot point, from where we will expand to cities like Hangzhou and Suzhou. In the future, we want to expand to Guangzhou, Beijing and Shenzhen as well."

"We now have our own research and development platform for the development of new breeds. We have also established the Jiangxi Kiwi Engineering Technology Research Center. We are now working together with well-known Chinese and foreign research organizations to develop new breeds."

"Compared to kiwi producers in areas like Sichuan or Shaanxi, we have two main advantages: firstly, our own brands take up the largest portion of our sales. This guarantees an effective quality control of our products, and a standardized product. Secondly, our production and management are very precise. Even though kiwis are only a small product, there are many different kinds. Our product quality belongs to the best in China, and the taste is excellent."

Phone: +86 133 4009 0946

Phone: +86 791 8859 5315

WeChat official account: feileqiyiguo

Email: feileqiguo@163.com

WeChat: dgy666668