In the past two weeks, many imported fruits have been launched, including American Washington cherries, Australian tangerines, South African oranges, and Monthong durians from southern Thailand.
American Washington cherries are newly launched, and the arrival volume exceeds the same period of previous years. The market price is about ¥300 to 400 per box (5kg). Merchants mentioned that this year's arrival volume has increased greatly but the market is not active, which makes the market and sales volume unsatisfactory. A box of 10-row cherries that cost more than ¥400 in the same period last year is currently selling for ¥300, a drop of more than 20%.
It is more difficult to sell the California cherries that were launched earlier. On the other hand, the merchants mentioned that the "Black Pearl" variety is superior because of its taste, and its feedback and selling price still have an advantage. This variety can be sold at ¥500-600 and without big fluctuations.
Left: Washington cherries; Right: Monthong durian from southern Thailand
Australian tangerines and South African oranges are already on the market. According to merchants who sell imported oranges, the recently arrived batches of Australian tangerines have an ideal taste. Compared with last year’s sour taste, they are now purely sweet, and the price is lower than in the same period last year: Last year’s price was about ¥270/box, currently about ￥210, a drop of more than 20%. Therefore, the shipment was relatively smooth. As for South African oranges, merchants said that although the price of the current arrivals is lower than last year, the taste is not as good as expected, and the sales are slow.
Left: South African oranges; Right: Australian tangerines
For other imported citrus, the market of South African grapefruit has not been satisfactory in the past half month. The price has been lowered from ￥180/box when the sales were smooth earlier to about ￥140/box at present. Egyptian oranges are at the end of the production season, and the arrivals have decreased. The price per box has risen from more than ¥100 a while ago to ¥200, but the taste is mediocre because it is at the end of the season. South African oranges have arrived in small quantities.
Left: South African grapefruit; Right: Chinese yellow dragon fruit
Monthong durians from southern Thailand are on sale and will soon be launched in large quantities. A box of A6 fruit currently sells for more than ¥600. There is little price difference between different brands. Overall, there is little change from last year. Some merchants said that it is the early stage of the production season, and the taste is relatively not so good.
A small amount of Monthong from eastern Thailand is still on sale, and merchants say they are the last batch. According to the introduction, the current price of A6 fruit in the east is ¥680/box, which has been maintained for nearly half a month, which is about 20%-50% higher than the same period last year.
Left: New Zealand apples; Right: Chinese "Queen Nina" red grapes
As for other major fruits, imported apples are not selling fast but the market is stable, and the overall arrival volume is lower than before. Some merchants choose imported Rose apples and pack them into gift boxes with cartoon characters to attract children, especially before the festival. The market of domestically produced Shine Muscat has risen this week, and it is better to sell goods before the Dragon Boat Festival. Some merchants estimate that the volume will be more this year, and the overall price will be slightly better than last year. There are different brands of yellow dragon fruit imported from Ecuador, but due to the impact of domestic ones, the overall sales volume is slow.
Merchants said that the price of domestic yellow dragon fruit is about ¥130-170 per box, while imported fruit costs more than ¥200, the appearance of the two is similar, and the difference in taste is not as obvious as the difference in price, which leads many buyers to prefer domestically-produced ones.