Currently, luffa sold on the market mainly comes from the Hua County in Henan, Weifang in Shandong, Pangshan in Beijing, and Langfang, Yongqing, and Zhangzhou in Hebei.
The main supplier of the Beijing market, Weifang in Shandong, is able to provide year-round supply, especially in the winter and spring. Earlier this week, the production in Shandong was affected by rainfall, resulting in significantly lower supply and a marked increase in prices.
With the improvement of weather conditions, vegetables resumed their growth and production has increased, leading prices to fall significantly. This week, Beijing and its surrounding production areas are at the end of their seasons, and the quality is uneven. The later summer crop from the Yongqing area in Hebei is becoming available, with slightly higher prices than other origins.
There are two varieties currently on the market: long luffa and short luffa. The former is an old variety, mostly grown in the northern regions; the latter was a counter-seasonal novelty vegetable a few years back but has gradually become more common with the expansion of its planting. This is reflected in its prices, now only slightly higher than that of the long variety.
Source: Beijing Xinfadi Market Department