The number of seedless pomegranate traders has quickly grown in recent years. And their large numbers disturb the regularity of the Chinese pomegranate market. Many planters harvest their pomegranates before they are completely ripe, and their poor quality disturbs the market. Pomegranates from Huili recently entered the market and Manager Tang Ting of Jintang County Dexing Fruit Industry recently talked about the market conditions and prospects.
Manager Tang first introduced conditions in the pomegranate production areas. "This year the weather conditions were excellent. The production volume is much bigger this year than in previous years. And the product quality is great. The fruit peel is glossy, and only a small number of pomegranates split their peel. As for market conditions, the market recently weakened. The pomegranate trade slowed down. The purchase price of top-quality pomegranates was around 4.5 yuan [0.70 USD] per 0.5 kg when the pomegranates entered the market in the middle of August, but then quickly dropped to 3.5 yuan [0.54 USD] per 0.5 kg. Second-rate pomegranates sell for less than 2.5 yuan [0.39 USD] per 0.5 kg. One annual peak period for pomegranate sales is the Mid-Autumn Festival [September, 19, 2021], but at the moment the conditions in the next few weeks are hard to predict."
The seedless pomegranate orchard of Jintang County Dexing Fruit Industry in Huili, Liangshan subprefecture, covers an area of 133 hectares. "We settled down in Liangshan more than 20 years ago and specialized in seedless pomegranates. We quickly became aware of some problems in this industry. A few years ago seedless pomegranates were trending, but more recently the market has been chaotic due to a growing number of pomegranate farmers. Some farmers do not wait for the pomegranates to ripen before they harvest them. They want to enter the market early and take advantage of a higher opening price, when supply is still limited, but the unripe pomegranates are inferior in flavor and product quality, so consumers are turned off by them and consumer demand declines. In addition, the expansion of overall surface area devoted to pomegranate plantation stimulates the overall production volume, which in turn creates a situation where supply exceeds demand, and so the price drops."
"Although the product quality of pomegranates on the market is far from uniform, the low price also impacts our top-quality pomegranates. However, our business philosophy is to "build a brand on product quality". We harvest each pomegranate during the optimum harvest period and strictly control product quality. We have also established our own packaging team, and we refresh our assortment every year to optimize the customer experience," explained manager Tang. The pomegranate brands of Jintang County Dexing Fruit Industry have already found a firm foothold in the domestic market, and the company team is now actively developing the export market.
"In addition to seedless pomegranates, we also promote new products every year, such as the Crimson grapes we introduced from California, USA. Our vineyard is located in Xichang. The conditions there are optimal for growing grapes. The temperature difference between day and night is big, and there is abundant sunshine. These conditions are very suitable for the plantation of Crimson grapes. The Crimson grapes we grow in Xichang are sweet and crisp, and seedless," said Manager Tang.
"This year the weather conditions in Xichang were not bad, so the harvest was quite rich. The grapes just entered the market, and the current purchase price of top-quality grapes is around 9-10 yuan [1.39-1.55 USD] per 0.5 kg. We expect the harvest to last until the end of November. Grapes from storage can be sold until after Chinese Spring Festival [February 1, 2022]."
Jintang County Dexing Fruit Industry was established in July, 2014. The company specializes in the integrated growth, retail, storage, and distribution of agricultural products. The company will participate in the (delayed) Shanghai International Fruit Expo on 8-10 October.
When asked about the future of the company, Manager Tang replied: "This is the peak period of domestic fruit production. We will bring some of our seedless pomegranates, Crimson grapes, and western plums for other expo participants to taste. We hope to give a large number of visitors the opportunity to experience the excellent flavor of our high-quality fruit products. And we hope to connect with many potential new clients."
For more information:
Tang Ting - Manager
Jintang County Dexing Fruit Industry Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 13880483058