The new lemon season began when fresh lemons entered the market in the middle of September. The harvest season is expected to last until late December. Production areas suffered from extreme weather conditions this year, including low temperatures and frost, as well as drought in spring. Some of the lemon trees were frozen. The overall production volume declined by 30% this season, but the product quality is quite good.
Mr. Zhang, Director of Sales at Jining Greenstream Fruit & Vegetables Co., Ltd., recently talked about the conditions in domestic and export markets.
Mr. Zhang first introduced conditions in the domestic market. "Although the new lemon harvest has already begun to enter the market, there are still lemons from last season left in reserve. In previous years the lemons in storage were sold out by June. This year, however, some warehouses still have lemons left in storage. These lemons are only suitable for the domestic market, especially for restaurants and beverage shops. However, these retail channels have been unstable since the outbreak of Covid-19. Still, lemons contain a lot of vitamin C and can strengthen the human immune system, which is a great stimulus for lemon sales."
As for export, China primarily exports Eureka lemons. Chinese Eureka lemons are not as juicy as the lemons from Turkey or Egypt, but they endure storage very well, which makes them quite popular in the market. Southeast Asia is one of the largest overseas markets for Chinese lemons. However, this market has weakened considerably since the outbreak of Covid-19. The Southeast Asian market demand is not nearly as strong as in previous years.
"The export market remains depressed this year. There is often no demand, despite the reasonable price. The market is not as strong as before. There are several reasons for this development. First, the price of Chinese lemons is higher than the prices of lemons from other production areas. Chinese lemons cost more than twice the price of Turkish lemons. China does not have a price advantage in the international lemon market. Second, the high shipping costs continue to weaken the competitive power of Chinese suppliers," explained Mr. Zhang.
"Last year, for the first time, Chinese lemon export to the Middle East expanded. This year, however, South African lemons are quite cheap. Some importers from the Middle East switched to South African lemons instead. In the end, the export market is not as good as last year. Some of the smaller processing factories who specialize in export have temporarily halted their operations. They've turned their attention to other products with better market prospects."
In addition to lemons, Jining Greenstream Fruits & Vegetables Co., Ltd. also exports pomelo, ginger, and garlic.
For more information:
Mr. Zhang Shuhan
Jining Greenstream Fruits & Vegetables Co., Ltd.
WeChat: 008615853798811
WhatsApp: 008615853798811
E-mail: info@greenstream.cn