One week after the Spring Festival, the arrival of imported stone fruits such as prunes and plums, as well as Egyptian sweet oranges, has gradually increased in the fruit market, and the volume and sales of cherries have decreased significantly compared to before the festival. In response to the Lantern Festival this weekend, branded apples in gift boxes are popular.
Left: Imported prunes. Right: Apples in gift boxes
Australian prunes are already on sale before the Spring Festival. According to merchants, the current price is slightly higher than before, basically the same as last year's period. Chilean prunes arrived one after another this week. Other stone fruits such as Australian/Chilean nectarines and Australian jewel plums are on sale, and the quantity is gradually increasing.
Imported citrus, currently mainly Egyptian sweet oranges, American oranges, and Israeli grapefruits are on the market. Egyptian sweet oranges were launched around the end of December and early January. The current arrival volume and price are slightly higher than in the same period last year, and some fruits are smaller than last year.
Egyptian sweet orange
Most of the imported apples are currently produced in the United States, and the main varieties include Red Roses and Jialiguo. It is reported that the recent price of imported apples from the United States is more than 70% higher than that of the same period last year. The price has remained high since before the Spring Festival, especially the red rose variety whose price is still rising. In the same period last year, the price was low due to the sluggish market. This year, the arrival of apples is relatively small, and the production season of other imported apples has not yet started, resulting in high prices, but the supply is still short.
Left: Imported apples. Right: American oranges
Imported Chilean cherries are still arriving in the market one after another, but the quantity and sales are significantly lower than before the festival. According to the merchants, the sales of cherries were satisfactory from the first day to the third day of the Spring Festival, and then gradually decreased. At present, the price of cherries has dropped compared with that before the festival, but in the eyes of merchants, the drop is not large.
Baba tangerine
In terms of Southeast Asian fruits, after the price of Vietnamese dragon fruit soared between New Year’s Day and Spring Festival, the current price has dropped and gradually leveled off due to the increasing number and arrival of fruits from the producing area. But it is still much higher than the sluggish market in the second half of last year. The goods have been moving smoothly since before the Spring Festival. The shipment of imported green coconuts is better than before, and merchants estimate that it has something to do with the recent rise in temperature.
Left: Reticulated Melon. Right: White Strawberry
Among the domestically produced fruits, it is reported that sales of Sichuan baba tangerines are very good this year. The current price is about 15%-20% higher than the same period last year. Strawberries are one of the most popular fruits in winter. The sales of strawberries were not smooth due to the pandemic in the previous year during the Spring Festival. The strawberries are ideal this year. In terms of varieties, red strawberries such as Dandong strawberries are sold more, while white strawberries such as Light Snow are purchased more by boutiques. The price of strawberries this week has dropped compared with the previous year. For example, the price of Light Snow strawberries has dropped by about 30%. Meanwhile, due to the demand for gift-giving during the Spring Festival and the arrival of the Lantern Festival this weekend, the sales of domestic apples in branded gift boxes continued to be smooth, which was better than that of apples in wholesale large packages.