Whether people buy fruit for consumption at home or as gifts, Chinese consumers prefer a greater product variety in smaller quantities. Fruit traders cater to their demands and pay more attention to brand building and attractive packaging. The ratio of boxed fruit grows, whether they contain common fruits. like apples and pears, or colorful fruit like cherry tomatoes, cherries, and dragon fruit, the gift box is the way to go. Furthermore, smaller boxes are more popular than big ones.
Fruit sales in the period leading up to Chinese Spring Festival [February 5th, 2019] are higher than last year in the same period. This is on the one hand because storage capacity improved, and on the other hand because oranges sell well. The storage capacity of wholesale markets greatly expanded as wholesale markets integrate with cold storage infrastructure. Furthermore, while the market was dominated by apples and pears last year, this year such fruits as Shatang oranges, strawberries, Hainan cherry tomatoes, Gong tangerines, Chou tangerines, and Navel oranges took the spotlight. The supply volumes of these fruits increased in comparison with last year.
People in the industry state that the production volume per hectare of Shatang oranges declined, but the surface area devoted to Shatang orange production in Guangxi greatly expanded. The peak harvest period of Shatang oranges has just begun and the supply volume is growing. Supply is abundant, so the price of Shatang oranges is quite "sensitive to the people's needs".
Source: jschina.com.cn