Strawberry retail is gradually warming up as spring approaches. The price of strawberries this year is at least 7 or 8 yuan [1.11 or 1.27 USD] cheaper per 0.5 kg than it was in previous years. However, the price in major strawberry production areas has shown a significant increase in the last few days. These production areas include Changfeng County in Anhui and Pingdu City in Shandong.
The price of strawberries increased to around 12 yuan [1.90 USD] per 0.5 kg in the week before the Spring Festival. On the last day of the Festival the price even increased to 13 yuan [2.06 USD] per 0.5 kg. The main reason for the strawberry price increase was the holiday effect. The price returned to around 10 yuan [1.58 USD] per 0.5 kg after the holidays.
Some of the major strawberry producing areas are currently switching between crops, so the volume that entered the market is small and supply is limited. Consumer demand for strawberries, however, does not decrease. This discrepancy between supply and demand is the main reason for the recent increase in strawberry prices. The markets with great demand include Zhuanghe City and Donggang City in Liaoning, Suining County in Jiangsu, and Zhongmu County in Henan. In these places supply has gradually decreased, but demand has not. The enthusiasm of travelling traders has also increased, as has the speed of transport.
Source: cnr.cn