Although the Chinese New Year and the peak consumer season are approaching, the fruit market is unexpectedly experiencing low prices.
At present, the price of most fruit in the market is significantly lower. Orah mandarins were sold at 150 or 160 yuan per box during the same period last year, but are now only sold for 110 yuan. Shatang mandarins are about 40% cheaper than the same period last year. The price of papa tangerines is about 30% lower. The average price of Fuji apples is 2.55 yuan per half a kilo, dropping 30% year-on-year. Yali pears are 1.25 yuan per half a kolo, 40% lower year-on-year. The price of locally grown bananas has dropped by nearly 20%.
In addition to the price of locally grown fruit being lower, prices of imported fruit popular with consumers in recent years are also affordable. Therefore, the sales of imported fruit during the Spring Festival are about 30% higher than usual. Taking imported cherries as an example, the imported JJ-grade cherries from Chile introduced by Wal-Mart this year have achieved double-digit growth compared with last year.
The overall decline in pricing is caused by various factors. At present, most of the fruit in China are facing the dilemma of oversupply. Farmers are losing money and sellers are under increased sales pressure. An increasing number of dealers are using platforms for fresh produce to ship from the production areas directly or setting up agricultural cooperatives to reduce losses. However, it is not so easy to change the sales channels for locally grown fruit. To get good sales, changes have to start with agriculture itself.
Source: NCWGJT