The export of Lemons from Yunnan began at the end of August, and the peak harvest season of those from Anyue, Sichuan, will start at the end of September. Thanks to the good market conditions in the late season last season, growers have strengthened management this season. As a result, the production and quality of lemons from Anyue are both higher. Mr. Zhang Shuhan, manager of Jining Greenstream Fruits and Vegetables Co., Ltd., talked about the recent export market and market expectations this season.
According to Mr. Zhang, products currently being shipped are mainly from Yunnan. As the volume on the market is still small, the price is temporarily high at about 1 US dollar per kilogram. It is expected that by the end of this month, the price of lemons from Anyue will fall after large volumes become available.
“China’s lemon production was high last year. Exporters were worried about the lack of market demand in the later season, so they made large shipments to the Middle East and Ukraine from March to April, resulting local supply to fall short of demand and prices to rise to about twice as much from April. After the market price picked up, most of the storage lemon traders made a lot of profits. I think most businesses will be optimistic about the market this season and will be more enthusiastic than in previous years.”
“Lemons are mainly sold to restaurants and beverage chains in China. Volumes absorbed by these channels post- Covid-19 have been relatively stable. Southeast Asia and the Middle East are the main export destinations of Chinese lemons. Good quality and low price are our main advantages as an industry,” Zhang said. "Recently, we have started shipping to the Middle East. Exports have not been adversely affected by Covid-19. As lemons are packed with vitamin C that can boost immunity, the pandemic has not had a major impact on local sales either."
Eureka is one of the most widely grown varieties in China. The current planted area is 750,000 mu (50.000 hectare) and the yearly production is more than 1 million tons. Its quality is widely appreciated in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Low price and good quality are the main advantages of this product. Zhang’s company is currently looking for a factory in Sichuan that can produce paper trays.
"Although China has a long history of cultivating lemons and has a sizeable yearly production, there’s still a big gap between China and other major producing countries such as South Africa and Turkey in terms of packaging and processing. At present, most Chinese exporters use simple carton packaging of 15kg. We hope to improve the packaging and use paper trays and upgraded packaging to help improve China’s competitiveness in export.”
In addition to lemons, Jining Greenstream Fruits and Vegetables Co., Ltd. also imports grapefruit, ginger and garlic. The company's annual export volume totals about 2000 containers.
More information:
Contact: Zhang Shuhan
Company: Jining Greenstream Fruits and Vegetables Co., Ltd.
Email: info@greenstream.cn
Mobile/WhatsApp:008615853798811