Kiwifruit from Guizhou is expected to flood on to the market in mid-August. “With a weaker national consumer market, this season we will use promotional activities to attract consumers on top of keeping the price at the same level as last year,” Duan, manager of Liupanshui Agriculture Investment Development Co., Ltd., talked about the market expectations this season.
The Guizhou producing area is dominated by red kiwifruit, a variety that is hairless and greenish in appearance, thin in the peel, thick in the flesh, sweet and juicy, and rich in nutrients, known as the king of fruits.
"This season, the planted area in the Liupanshui area of Guizhou has increased by about 30,000 mu, and the total production area is expected to reach about 218,000 mu. If the yield stays the same, the total production of red kiwifruit in Liupanshui is expected to increase by 30%,” Duan said.
In recent months, many major kiwifruit producing areas across China suffered from severe weather conditions such as extreme cold weather and frost, which has had a certain impact on production and planting conditions. Before the fruit was covered with protective bags, Liupanshui also suffered from a cold snap that lasted several days. However, it seems that the surface of the peel and the sweetness of the fruit are more or less normal.
Liupanshui is located on a plateau. Fruit from lower altitude areas have arrived on market in early August and large volumes will be harvested around August 15. “After the Covid-19 crisis, the momentum of market consumption still needs to be improved. Some kiwifruit brands have lowered their prices of the new crop to cope with the change in the market. We will also give consumers discounts through promotional activities based on the market price after the new crop becomes available (Zespri’s market price is expected to be about 30% lower). We will carry out a series of promotional activities at points of sales to give consumers a better experience,” Duan said.
“With more and more companies involved in the kiwi industry, competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Fruit quality has also become a key factor for a company to stand out in the market,” Duan said. “Red kiwifruit has a short shelf life and higher requirements on the processing and transportation environment. In order to ensure the quality of the fruit, our company adopts leading global cold storage technology and equipment imported from New Zealand in the processing stage to carry out photographing, sorting, weighing, and other automated processing of the fruit. In addition, we implement cold chain transportation of the products throughout the logistics process where we control the temperature at 2-6 degrees.”
More Information:
Contact: Duan Zhaohua
Company: Liupanshui Agricultural Investment and Development Co., Ltd. (Liupanshui Liangdu Kiwi Fruit Industry)
Tel.: +86 18216808829