A popular fruit during the Spring Festival, cherries have been selling well almost every year. However, this year's outbreak of coronavirus has suddenly made the lively fruit markets deserted. In order to prevent the spread of the virus, people in China are mostly staying at home during the Spring Festival. Malls are deserted, let alone wholesale markets. As a result, a large volume of imported cherries has been stranded in the wholesale markets.
With a fruit with a limited shelf life, “clearing the goods" has become a top priority for offline fruit retail stores. Since these stores have stocked up for the Spring Festival, when slow sales were caused by the epidemic, it will lead to great losses in the future if the stock is not moved in time. Therefore, many traders are now considering sending unsold cherries to hospitals as a contribution to the prevention and treatment of coronavirus.
In addition to cherries, the market of less popular winter seasonal fruit such as strawberries, red globes, longan, and mangosteen, have also been affected to some extent this year. For example, in Donggang, Dandong, China’s largest strawberry producing region, the retail price in the local market fluctuates significantly every day. The lowest price during the Spring Festival fell to 3 or 4 yuan per half a kilo.
For fruit traders, the 2020 Spring Festival has made the initially very optimistic market uncertain, especially for fruit such as Chilean cherries whose main sales window falls around the Spring Festival. Everyone has to wait for the consumption drive and distribution efficiency to return nationwide.
Source: Shanghai Fruit Industry Association