"The production season of Chinese grapes already officially began in early May. Large volumes of import grapes were written off because of the outbreak of Covid-19, which started a chain reaction. Vineyard owners in many production areas were unable to harvest their grapes on time and buyers placed fewer orders than last year. Because of these and other reasons, the grapes in many vineyards are overly ripe and some have already begun to soften on the vine. The product quality of many grape varieties is much lower this year than in previous years." This is according to Mr. Liao of HolyFresh, a company specialized in grape plantation and retail.
Guangdong-based HolyFresh mainly exports grapes to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia. The company supplies a wide assortment of grape varieties, including Red Globe, Shine Muscat, Summer Black, Crimson, and seedless white grapes. The company has an annual export volume of around 1,000 shipping containers. "Our export volume is much lower than last year because overseas markets are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We have also taken appropriate measures. We have reduced our export volume and shifted some of our grapes to the domestic market."
"As for the domestic grape market, the price of top-quality Shine Muscat grapes was recently around 80 yuan [11.28 USD] per 0.5 kg. First-grade grapes cost around 60-65 yuan [8.46-9.17 USD] per 0.5 kg, while second-grade grapes sell for 50 yuan [7.05 USD] per 0.5 kg. Although market conditions are still acceptable, the price is almost 50% lower than around this time last year. Most fruit traders have avoided financial loss, but there is not nearly as much profit margin as last year."
When asked about the reasons for this development, Mr. Liao replied: "Domestic consumption has not yet recovered from the outbreak of Covid-19. Consumption levels are not yet as high as before the pandemic hit. Furthermore, in recent years, the price of import grapes has dropped as their import volume increased. Import grapes offer serious competition for domestic Red Globe grapes."
"Competition in the Chinese grape industry grows more fierce every day. The only way to stand out among the competition is to guarantee the highest product quality. I believe the guarantee of product quality is the first step towards securing business opportunities in this market. We have established standardized, automated vineyards and we import the most advanced and innovative plantation management technologies. Furthermore, we implement strict standards and carefully observe product quality throughout the entire process from harvest to delivery. We address product quality at the very root of our production process," said Mr. Liao.
HolyFresh Fruit is specialized in domestic sales and export of fresh fruit. The company has many orchards spread across China. Their brands SpriFresh and HolyFresh sell well in overseas markets. In addition to grapes, the company also exports Satsuma mandarins, fragrant pears, and Hami melons.
For more information:
Mr. Liao Qiang
HolyFresh Fruit
Tel.: +86 13631608309
WeChat ID: David984745
E-mail: coolfresh_exp@aliyun.com
Website: www.sprifresh.com