The Shanghai International Fruit Expo recently came to an end. Datuk Vincent Chan of Shanghai Youxiang Trade Co., Ltd. recently talked about the expo.
"We were unable to bring in refrigerated products due to the disease prevention measures taken at the international expo in Shanghai. We really regret being unable to display our refrigerated products, and I believe that these regulations were a blow to many fruit traders in the expo," said Datuk Vincent Chan.
"Those who are familiar with our Malaysian Musang King durian will know that our specialty is the frozen Musang King durian. The announcement of this regulation was a significant obstacle for our participation in this expo, but since this was the first Shanghai International Fruit Expo and we are a Shanghai-based company, we of course gave our full support."
"Despite the continued pandemic, Datuk Vincent Chan is optimistic about the expo. The international expo is not just an opportunity to promote durian and durian-related products, but it is also a social occasion. The international expo in Hong Kong has not been held for two years, so the Shanghai expo offered an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and loyal customers.
"Shanghai Youxiang Trade recently began promoting their durian mooncake. This durian mooncake is a so-called snow skin mooncake with a soft casing which is not baked, instead of the traditional baked pastry casing. Although Mid-autumn festival [21 September, 2021] is still some time away, there is still a lot of interest in the durian mooncake. Who does not like to look at the exquisite, gift-wrapped mooncakes? In response to feedback from loyal clients, the company specifically developed a black durian mooncake that pairs well with a bamboo charcoal durian biscuit. There is a limited sales volume of 1,000 pieces, and pre-orders have begun. To guarantee excellent customer experience and protect the product, every package includes three layers of protection: thermal bag + dry ice + foam box."
Malaysian durian
When asked about the durian mooncake, Datuk Vincent Chan immediately perked up, "to give everyone the opportunity to taste our new durian mooncake, we made the bold choice to increase the cost price of packaging, so that we could expand from our original 'shipping included' service for Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shanghai, and instead deliver throughout the country." Chinese consumers often compare Mon Thong durian from Thailand and Musang King durian from Malaysia. Thailand has a larger production volume than Malaysia, and so the price of durian is lower in Thailand. That is why Thai durian occupy an important part of the Chinese durian market. It is easy to see why Thai durian impact the sales of Malaysian Musang King durian in the Chinese market.
Datuk Vincent Chan further explained, "the most important factor in durian sales is still the Covid-19 pandemic. Malaysia and Singapore developed online sales of durian this year in response to the pandemic. The entire production volume of Malaysian durian is absorbed by online sales and local sales. In some cases demand even exceeds supply. And the cost of durian export to China increased during the pandemic. Frozen products often require expensive RNA-tests and disinfection procedures. This undoubtedly adds to the difficulty of export to China. Still, Musang King durian remain as popular as ever with Chinese consumers."
Datuk Vincent Chan also explained that: "While the price in the Chinese market remains stable, the purchase price of Musang King durian in Malaysian production areas shows an upward trend. This is also an effect of the pandemic. Lockdown measures in Malaysia reduced available labor and made shipping more difficult. In addition, all our Malay King durian pieces are AA-grade quality, but that only accounts for 30% of the durian. The only way we can maintain the market price is to cut down our own profit margin."
Shanghai Youxiang Trade participates in the Shanghai International Fruit Expo between the 12th and 14th of August. Their company stand can be found in hall E4 at booth G1-3. Everybody is welcome to join!
For more information:
Sophia Cai - CEO
Shanghai Youxiang Trade Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 400 1542 754
E-mail: sophia.cai@malaiwang.com
Shanghai International Fruit Expo
Register: https://presys.fruitexpo.cn/reg/fruit21/registercn/login
E-mail: everflourish@fruitexpo.cn