A heatwave engulfed the globe this summer and many places in China have suffered record-breaking temperatures for an extended period. In addition, many places in China again saw new outbreaks of Covid-19 in early August. These conditions severely hinder distribution, and that has an impact on the supply of fresh fruit. How do the heatwave and the ongoing pandemic affect the production of melons? Mr. Qin of Jiutai Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd. answered that question.
"Continuous high temperatures shorten the shelf life of fruit, especially fruits with high levels of sugar," explained Mr. Qin.
"Take the Hami melons from Xinjiang as an example. The BRIX value of those melons is high and the heat easily spoils their flavor. That means the supply chain has to be refrigerated, and still the shelf life of Hami melons is reduced by 2-3 days."
Mr. Qin also added that Hami melons benefit from a great difference in temperatures between day and night, so the heat during the day does not affect the growth of fresh Hami melons. The product quality and flavor of Hami melons is stable this season.
According to Mr. Qin, several places in Xinjiang witnessed new outbreaks of Covid-19. The flare up of Covid-19 hinders distribution and reduces the delivery volume of Xinjiang Hami melons to the market. There is market demand at the moment, so the wholesale price of Xinjiang Hami melons nearly doubled. Product movement is smooth.
In addition to Hami melons, watermelons are also popular during the summer. But the heatwave affects their shelf life and wholesale price as well. "High temperatures stimulate market demand for watermelons. Although the moon calendar already passed the 'start of autumn', watermelon prices are 30% higher than around this time last year. Prices are never this high around this time of the year. This is also the time of year when watermelon production shifts from one region to another, which means that the supply volume is slightly smaller than before. There is also a shortage of top-quality watermelons." The supply chain of watermelons is not entirely refrigerated and the heatwave reduced the shelf life of watermelons as well.
Mr. Qin also talked about seasonal fruits that just entered the market, such as seedless pomegranates. "Seedless pomegranates enter the market in early August. The production season begins in August and continues until late October. The flavor of this week's seedless pomegranates is quite good. This year the seedless pomegranates are doing well in terms of flavor, price, and product movement. The wholesale price is higher than around this time last year. In the last two years, some farmers harvested their seedless pomegranates early to obtain an advantage in the market, but the product quality is poor when the pomegranates are harvested too early, so market feedback was terrible. Plantation management has been strict this year and most farmers now wait until the pomegranates reach their ideal flavor before the fruit is harvested."
Jiutai Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd. is a well-known company in China, and one of the leading agricultural companies in Fujian. The company headquarters are located in Fujian. The company provides comprehensive supply chain services for research and development, fruit plantation, import and export, post-harvest processing, cold storage and fresh-keeping solutions, wholesale and distribution, branding, marketing, and retail.
The company manages a wide variety of domestic and imported fruits including "Jiutai 23 Degrees North Honey Melon" and "Sugar Sweet Watermelon". Their sales channels include wholesale, large-scale supermarkets, chain stores specialized in fruit, and e-commerce platforms.
For more information:
Mr. Qin
Jiutai Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd.
Website: www.chinajtny.com
Tel.: +86 137 3688 9424
E-mail: 1005225652@qq.com