"The main production areas of lychees in China are Hainan and Guangdong, and the two production seasons are in April and the middle and late May respectively. Judging from the weather conditions at the front end of the production season and the current flowering period, this year's lychee production will increase compared with last year, and the Guangdong production area is estimated to increase production by 30%," Mr. Lin Bo, the general manager of Guangdong Zefengyuan Agricultural Products Co., Ltd., told FreshPlaza.
"Although the planting area of lychees in Hainan is smaller than that of the Guangdong production areas, it is increasing year by year. The local climatic conditions enable it to ripen early and go on the market. The production of Hainan lychees is expected to increase this year, and the growth rate can only be evaluated after the flowering period. Among the production areas in Guangdong, Maoming, the world's largest lychee production area, is also expected to increase production, because the current lychee flower volume has increased by 50% compared with last year, and the current weather conditions are good."
Lychee and longan are the main export products of Zefengyuan, and its lychees are exported to North America, Southeast Asia, Europe and other places. "Last year, the domestic production of lychees was not high, resulting in high costs, coupled with high shipping costs, the export price of lychees was high. With the expected increase in production this year, the price should drop accordingly, and the cost of shipping logistics has been reduced year-on-year. It is believed that the export price of lychees will be more advantageous this year."
In terms of export varieties, the varieties produced in Hainan and Guangdong are similar. Among them, most of the lychees shipped by sea are of the "Feizixiao" variety, while by air, they are "Feizixiao", "Nuomici", "Guiwei", seedless lychees and other varieties. The transportation methods for exporting to the EU include air freight and sea freight.
In addition, not long ago, Zefengyuan exported a batch of tangerines to Southeast Asia and North America, as well as Orah mandarins to Europe. According to Mr. Lin, the consumption power of the export market is ideal, and the sea freight rate gradually returned to normal in the second half of last year. The export volume in the Southeast Asian market is basically the same. The market in other regions has grown, and the export volume is the largest on Christmas Eve and the eve of the Chinese New Year.
The products of Guangdong Zefengyuan Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. include lychee, longan, citrus, and cherry tomatoes, and its business covers all areas, from planting and purchasing to import and export trade. The company has a processing plant of 10,000 square meters, including cold storage and intelligent sorting equipment. Its own and cooperatives have a total orchard area of more than 333 hectares. Its brand names of lychee include: "Xiazhili", "Shunli", and "Zelizi". It exports to Canada, Australia, the United States, Southeast Asia and other places all year round, and the Middle East, Africa, European Union, and RCEP member countries have been added in recent years. Domestic cooperative customers include Joy Wing Mau Group, Yumsun Fruit, and Lotus Market, as well as online e-commerce companies.