Due to the extreme weather conditions in China the overall apple production volume greatly declined last year. This year, however, the weather conditions were very different. The weather conditions have been quite stable and regular this year. The overall apple production volume largely returned to normal levels. As a result, the Chinese apple market also developed in a different direction compared to last year.
Mr. Huang Linqing of Weihai Prefecture No. 51 Farm Co., Ltd. recently shared his viewpoint on the Chinese apple market: "We mainly sell two apple varieties, Fuji apples and Venus apples. They occupy different positions in the Chinese apple market. The supply of Fuji apples is currently slowing down, but there is still a supply of Venus apples left. The competition between these apple varieties is not great because they target very different consumer groups and they occupy different positions in the market."
The apple orchard of No. 51 Farm is located in Weihai, Shandong. The orchard covers an area of 213 hectares. The apple orchard is independently operated. "The overall production volume reached 2 million kg this year. That is twice the production volume of last year. Looking at the overall conditions this year we can state that the weather was regular and mostly dry. Our overall production volume greatly expanded this year because in the previous years we were still developing our orchard. As the years go by, our apple trees grow and become more mature. They gradually enter their most productive years. We expect the overall production volume to continue expanding in the next few years."
"The product quality of this year's Venus apples is quite alright and the fruit is relatively big this year. As for the price, Venus apples sell for 10 yuan [1.41 USD] per 0.5 kg. The price is stable. We expect the production season to last until Chinese Spring Festival [25 January, 2020]. The Venus apple variety has become quite popular in recent years. The main reason for this rise in popularity is the sweet flavor of the apple and the bright yellow color of the fruit peel.
"The Venus apples sell very well. Comparing the two apple varieties, there are some obvious differences. We use completely different methods to manage the technologies we apply during the harvest of Fuji apples and Venus apples. We do this to guarantee the best product quality for each apple variety. We have a variety of marketing channels. We provide tasting samples to markets throughout the country. We sell offline in major wholesale markets and we sell online through WeChat shops. We also connect to community stores. We sell our apples in Shanghai, Beijing, and Fujian. In the future we hope to further develop our market share at a steady pace. At the same time, we also hope to further expand our retail activities in new areas."
For more information:
Huang Linqing
Weihai Prefecture No. 51 Farm Co., Ltd.
E-mail: 184177366@qq.com
Website: http://www.sd51farm.com/