This is the season of European plums. The main supply comes from production areas in Chile. European plums are quite rare in China. The surface area currently devoted to the plantation of European plums is not large, and mainly confined to Xinjiang.
What are the differences between imported plums and plums from Xinjiang?
The flavor is different: plums produced in China are sweet, while the imported plums are a bit lighter in flavor.
The crispness is also different: plums produced in China are crisp, while the imported plums are softer.
The supply period is also different: plums produced in China enter the market every year between August and September, while those imported from Chile enter the market between January and March.
Butt the product varieties are the same: they are all French plums.
The 'French plum' originates in Yili, Xinjiang. It is a hybrid of the tart plum grown in the wild in Yili and the blackthorn plum. The product quality of plums in Xinjiang continues to improve as a result of years of cultivation and a unique natural environment, suitable weather, and excellent soil.
People in the industry say that the current price of plums imported for the high-end market is around 15 yuan [2.23 USD] per 0.5 kg. This price is not ideal, because the product quality is not as good as the plums produced in Xinjiang. There are two reasons for the inferior product quality of imported plums: first, long transport is not beneficial for the quality of the plums; and second, the plums are harvested when they are 60% ripe. They have not yet turned the right color and they are not very sweet. This naturally influences their performance on the Chinese market.
Source: ifreshfair.cn