Kiwi fruit production and retail is gradually recovering in Guizhou production areas, more than two months after the initial outbreak of COVID-19. Market demand is also growing stronger and the price is improving too. Manager Duan of Liupanshui City Agricultural Investment Development Co., Ltd. recently talked about current conditions in the Chinese kiwi fruit market.
"We slowly began to resume operations on a small scale in the last week of February. There was still a shortage of workers back then, so we were unable to complete all deliveries on time. In addition, distribution was restricted due to obstacles in the roads, so even the products we prepared for distribution could not be delivered on time. As for retail, many retail channels were down. The trade volume and speed of delivery through offline retail channels was far below normal in comparison with the same period in previous years. We therefore opted for online retail channels for the majority of the production volume we initially planned to sell through offline retail channels. The trade volume on our e-commerce platform was relatively stable. The online sales volume accounted for nearly 80% of our total sales volume," explained manager Duan.
"The domestic fruit market is already showing much improvement. The factories have all opened for business. Express delivery companies and wholesale distribution companies are gradually resuming regular operations as well. We are finally able to guarantee that our orders will be processed and delivered to the client on time. Domestic market demand is growing again and the price is rising. There is even a supply shortage of kiwi fruit in the domestic market.
"The average retail price of red heart kiwi fruit in the Chinese fruit market is around 40 yuan [5.64 USD] per kg. The price is slightly higher than around this time last year," said manager Duan. "The end of the kiwi fruit sales season is already approaching. Domestic market demand has grown much in the last few years because consumers are paying more attention to healthy, nutritious fruits. We do not have a lot of fresh kiwi fruit left. We can easily empty our warehouses through online retail channels. We are therefore prioritizing the domestic market for now. Our overseas market activities are in the planning stage."
"The kiwi fruit plants in Guizhou production areas are currently in bloom. They are preparing to grow the fruit for the next production season. The weather conditions so far have been excellent. There have not been significant changes in the surface area devoted to kiwi fruit plantation in Guizhou. The overall surface area still hovers around 13,387 hectares."
Miniho is the kiwi fruit brand of Liupanshui City Agricultural Investment Development. The company imported Compac automated selection equipment from New Zealand three years ago. The equipment can process 200 tons of fruit per day. "The automated machinery helps us save on labor cost and improves the efficiency of the selection and packaging process. This allows us to guarantee even better product quality."
For more information:
Duan Shaohua
Liupanshui City Agricultural Investment Development Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 18216808829