"China: "Hainan passion fruit production down 50%"

"Passion fruit is also called hen's egg fruit. It grows well between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius, and will suffer from frostbite or even die at temperatures below minus 2 degrees Celsius. Areas with an annual average above 18 degrees Celsius are perfect for passion fruit plantation, and it is easy to grow a bumper harvest. Passion fruit plantations are therefore distributed throughout southern China. Guangxi and Fujian are the two largest passion fruit production areas in China." This is according to Mr. Xian Luochao of Hainan Langtai Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.

"The passion fruit production area in Guangxi measures 20 thousand hectares, and the production areas in Fujian measure 6.7 thousand hectares. The production area in Hainan is relatively limited and only measures several hundred hectares. However, Hainan is able to supply in the off-season, when other production areas are inactive. The production season starts every year in December and ends in July of the subsequent year. This neatly falls in the quiet period when there is no other domestic market supply of passion fruit."

"Passion fruit production did not suffer from typhoons in 2017, but did suffer from cloudy and rainy weather. The production volume dropped by 50% in comparison with the previous year. Market prices, however, have not fluctuated as a result of decreased production volume. This is mainly because the production volume of Hainan passion fruit is not large. Current wholesale prices are between 8-12 yuan [1.27-1.91 USD]."

"Our company owns 33 hectares of passion fruit plantations in Ledong, Sanya, and Wanning. More than half of the plantations are already in production and the remainder are under development. Our estimated annual production volume is 400 tons. We currently sell passion fruit under our own registered brand 'fragrant hometown'. We sell through e-commerce platforms and in supermarkets. Our passion fruit is mainly sold in Beijing and east China."