"The harvest season of Fire Crystal persimmons has already started. The official opening of the supply season was on 10 October. The supply of fresh persimmons is expected to last until the end of November. A small volume of Fire Crystals was harvested on 8 October, but only a tiny volume was already ripe. Furthermore, some of the persimmons suffered from insect pests or plant diseases, and some were of inferior quality. These are not suitable for the market." This is according to manager Wei of Fresh Mao.
The Fire Crystal persimmon is a regional specialty in Shaanxi Province. The main production areas are in Lintong District of Xi'an City. The Fire Crystal persimmon turns a fiery red when ripe and starts to shine as bright as a crystal. Hence the name.
"The persimmon trees suffered from frost in March last year, so many of the persimmons suffered from frostbite and the overall volume of commercial fruit declined. This season, the volumes of Fire Crystals returned to normal as the weather conditions remained stable. Looking at the overall conditions, the product quality and flavor are quite similar to recent years."
"Fire Crystals are a 'small fruit' in comparison with most other fruits. The production of Fire Crystal persimmon does not take place on an industrial scale. The surface area devoted to them by individual farmers is limited. We have constructed a harvest and selection station in our production area to keep the supply volume stable. After the first selection process, they are transported to our warehouse in Shenzhen where a second selection takes place. The cost of transport is relatively high, as are the costs of multiple selection processes and storage. This means that the end-price of Fire Crystal persimmon is quite high."
"The current market price is quite stable. We supply boxes of 12 persimmon (750-850 gr) for 25-8 yuan [3.52-3.95 USD] per box. The market price of a box is around 39.8-49.8 yuan [5.61-7.02 USD].
Persimmon from other production areas also enter the market around the same time, but they do not offer a threat to our market share. The characteristics of different persimmon varieties are different. Most of the persimmon in the market are crisp persimmons, but our Fire Crystal persimmon are quite soft."
"Our Fire Crystal persimmon is currently unable to meet market demand. We mainly sell them on the wholesale markets and supermarkets of Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Xiamen. We have also begun to explore the Beijing market. Soft persimmons easily spoil during transport, so we are particularly careful when we introduce our products to a new market. Our market analysis suggests that consumers in supermarkets prefer medium-sized persimmons. However, the flavor of smaller persimmons is better. The packaging of small persimmons is also more delicate, and the price is higher."
For more information:
Mr. Wei - Manager
Shenzhen City Fresh Mao Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.
Tel.: 0755-55556666
WeChat ID: +86 18603038525
E-mail: zhouwei@freshmao.com