Even though the price of Jinqiu Shatang tangerines dropped last year, it is still a product that is not easily replaced, and remains one of the market regulars. The tangerine still has the potential to "make money". Although the tangerine only enters the market in large volumes between December and February, the early-season varieties have already appeared.
Wo, Chunjian, Shiranui, and Maogu tangerines, which ripen in February and March, are known as late-season varieties in China. The Jinqiu tangerine ripens is an early-season variety that ripens in October and appears on the market in late October or early November when there is a relative shortage of tangerines in the market.
Jinqiu Shatang tangerines
Data from Nongcai Online shows that the price of good-quality Shatang tangerines was around 6 yuan [0.87 USD] per 0.5 kg in Liaozhou, Guangxi, in early November. This price is already much higher than it was in the same period last year. Furthermore, the overall surface area devoted to regular Shatang tangerine plantation seems to have reached its limit--the two major production areas, in Guangxi and Guangdong, intend to limit the expansion of surface area devoted to the plantation of regular Shatang tangerines. In addition, citrus greening disease further limits the production volume of regular Shatang tangerines.
Jinqiu Shatang tangerines are similarly affected by market approval for regular Shatang tangerines, but they have all the strong points of regular Shatang tangerines, and appear on the market much earlier than regular Shatang tangerines. The surface area currently devoted to Jinqiu Shatang tangerine plantation barely reaches 2 thousand hectares, so there is much development potential. Jinqiu Shatang tangerine orchards received around 8-12 yuan [1.15-1.73 USD] per 0.5 kg last year, while the retail price was 15.9 yuan [2.29 USD] per 0.5 kg, and online prices went as high as 27 yuan [3.89 USD] per 0.5 kg.
This shows that Jinqiu Shatang tangerines have excellent market prospects this year.
Source: Study Agriculture Daily, Increase Citrus Profits