The economic value of mangosteen has greatly improved in the last few years and, in response, the overall surface area devoted to mangosteen plantation in Southeast Asia expanded.
Indonesia and Thailand are the largest mangosteen countries in terms of overall surface area devoted to plantation and production volume. Nearly all the imported mangosteen on the Chinese market come from these two countries. Under regular weather conditions, the Thai mangosteen taste the best between April and June. This is also the time of year when most of the Thai mangosteen enter the Chinese market. In the middle of June this year the Chinese market price of Thai mangosteen began to rapidly decline.
"In the middle of June, especially after the Dragon Boat Festival on June 14th, the product quality was quite good and the wholesale price of Thai mangosteen was around 350 yuan [54.14 USD] per box of 8.5 kg. The current wholesale price is only around 160-180 yuan [24.75-27.84 USD] per box. The product quality is barely satisfactory, which puts a lot of pressure on the price. In only three weeks the price dropped by 50%." This is according to Mr. Qi Shuai of Pingxiang Kaitai Import and Export Trade Co., Ltd.
When asked about the reasons for the rapid price decline, Mr. Qi Shuai replied: "There are two main reasons. First, many domestic fruit varieties enjoyed an abundant harvest this year. Chinese consumers have a wide choice of reasonably-priced fruits. That makes it difficult for the price of Thai mangosteen to rise. Second, there is a shift between production areas and the production season is coming to an end. As a result, the product quality of Thai mangosteen is far from ideal. It is therefore not strange that the price is coming down as well. Chinese consumers pay more and more attention to the product quality of fruit, so traders have become more sensitive to product quality as well."
The overall surface area devoted to the plantation of domestic mangosteen in Hainan is growing every year, but they are still rarely seen in the Chinese market. Consumers favor the Thai mangosteen. The flavor of Thai mangosteen is sweeter than the flavor of Chinese mangosteen, which gives Thai mangosteen a distinct market advantage. In addition, Thai mangosteens have a deeper color. Other than that, the difference is very difficult to detect.
For more information:
Mr. Qi Shuai
Pingxiang Kaitai Import and Export Trade Co., Ltd.
Mobile: +86 134 5700 1598
Tel.: +86 771 8552 324