China’s main banana producer Hainan Province is currently wrapping up their season. The quality of bananas has been high thanks to favorable weather conditions, and they were not affected by the typhoon during the season. Prices of bananas from Hainan have been very good this year, resulting in a significant boost in retuns for farmers.
Bananas from Hainan are mainly grown in three areas of this province, that is, southern areas of Sanya, Lingshui and Ledong, central areas of Dongfang, Changjiang, and Zhangzhou, and northern areas of Chengmai and Lingao. Products from southern Hainan are available from March to May, and those from central and northern Hainan are mainly sold from May to July.
Since becoming available in mid-March this year, bananas from Hainan have been performing steadily with continuously rising prices. For a whole month in the April to May period, these fruits maintained a high price level among local and overseas origins. Good quality supplies fetched around 4 yuan/kg in general, with those of premium quality fetching as high as 4.8 yuan/kg.
This is on the one hand due to the fact that growing areas in southwestern Hainan have gradually finished their seasons, while crops from Guangxi have yet to become available, creating “a window of an empty market”. Although this window overlaps with the marketing window of bananas from Guangdong, Hainan faces little competition due to the latter’s limited supplies and poor quality. On the other hand, benefiting from ideal climatic conditions and mature growing techniques, Hainan produces high-quality bananas highly favored by the market.
Source: Nongcai Net Banana Experts