The new production season of Xinjiang plums has kicked off. Xinjiang plums have become more and more popular in the market in recent years because of the superior taste and few competing products. Because of its high economic benefits, except for Jiashi County in Kashi, the core production area, in the past two years, many places in Xinjiang have been growing plums, and the total planting area has increased year by year.
Ms. Wang Jinggai, from the Aksu Jianglinyuan Agricultural Professional Cooperative, is purchasing plums in Jiashi and Aksu. Regarding the performance of the new season of plums, Wang said that due to the cold weather in the first half of the year, the production this year has declined, and the size of each fruit is a bit large.
"Before the Spring Festival, there was a cold wave in the local area. The lowest temperature dropped to -25°C for several days in a row, and many fruit trees were frozen to death; followed by a large area of frost on May 5, and a considerable number of fruits were damaged. These two bad weathers severely reduced the production of crops including plums. In addition, there are still heavy rains in recent days, which may easily lead to fruit cracks. As for the total output, although the yield per unit area has decreased this year, the planting area has expanded year by year, which has become an effective supplement." In addition, due to the decrease in fruit-bearing on the fruit trees, the plums are generally big this season.
According to Wang, the Brix of plums is currently 23-24, but because they are still in the early stage, they still have an astringent taste and the fruit color has not turned. It is estimated that after August 15th, the taste will gradually become better. The peak period for plums going on the market is estimated to be between August 20 and September 5, which is also the peak period for picking fresh plums. After the first ten days of September, the fresh fruit picking is over, some of the fruits are stored in the warehouse and then enter the market in batches, and some of them are used for deep processing, such as making prunes.
"The current price is high. The price at the source is as high as ￥25/kg, an increase of 40% to 50% compared with the same period last year. This price has reached its peak and should not rise again, but it is estimated that the high price will continue for about one week to ten days. After that, prices will drop as the season develops. There are two reasons for the high price. One is the decline in production this year, and the other is the hype in the market."
Talking about market expectations, Wang said that in view of the current poor overall fruit market, the expectations for plums this year are also relatively conservative, but high-quality products will still be sold smoothly, and she is optimistic about the sales channel of Douyin Live broadcast.
Aksu Jianglinyuan Agricultural Professional Cooperative mainly sells a variety of Xinjiang-origin fruits, including plums, apples, cantaloupe, and apricots, as well as dried jujubes and walnuts. Sales channels include online live broadcast, e-commerce supply, and wholesale markets, and the sales areas are mainly Shanghai, Shenyang, Nanchang and other places.
