Due to the early start of the production season this year, soft-seeded pomegranates are currently in the middle and late stages of the season. As a mid-autumn fruit, the market performance of soft-seeded pomegranates this year is not as good as in previous years. Youth Red Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd. has more than ten years of experience in the cultivation and sales of soft-seeded pomegranates. According to Mr. Liu Huan, from the company, excessive pomegranate production and relatively weak market demand this season are the main reasons for the lack of market performance.
"The peak period of soft-seeded pomegranates was around 2014-2018. As market attention increased, planting areas continued to expand in more regions, and production increased year by year. As of this year, there has been overcapacity, coupled with the lack of purchasing power in the current market, the price and sales volume have been lower than before, falling by about 30 to 40%." In addition, Liu also mentioned that with the expansion of planting areas, there are obvious regional differences in colors and tastes, and there is a large gap in the market performance of pomegranates between different production areas.
To cope with the market cycle problem of soft-seeded pomegranates, Youth Red Ecological Agriculture began to improve varieties in 2019 and selected 3 new varieties from more than 20 new ones for trial planting.
The current progress is going smoothly: "Several new varieties have been bred, which have the advantages of being storage-resistant, seedless, and redder in color. Traditional soft-seeded pomegranates can only be stored for one month after harvest. Otherwise, they will turn black and lose water. However, according to the tests, the new varieties can be stored until March of next year, with a longer shelf life. Secondly, traditional varieties still have seeds, while new varieties can be seedless and have a better taste. Furthermore, conventional soft-seeded pomegranates are colored during the fruit expansion stage, but new varieties have changed color during the fruit-setting. Both appearance and flesh can turn red in a larger area. For example, early-ripening varieties, among the new varieties, achieved 80% coloration of appearance in June. "
"The newly bred varieties include early ripening and mid-late ripening varieties, and the season can last from June to the Chinese New Year. Compared with the existing varieties, which have a market period of about 2 months, they have obvious advantages." According to Liu, the improved new varieties have been harvested in small quantities this year. Because the fruits are seedless and have more moisture, their sweetness is similar to existing varieties. In the middle and late stages, the Brix should not be lower than 16.5-18. "We will continue to improve the technology and invest more resources. According to the current progress, the improved varieties will be available for sale in three years."
Youth Red Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd. has its own pomegranate base of 100 hectares. Its brand names include "Youth Red" and "Passionate Youth ". The sales channels are mainly offline high-end supermarkets and chain stores, and partners include Pagoda, Joy Wing Mau Group, Ole’ Supermarket, and Wal-Mart. In recent years, online sales have been developed, and partners include Easy Buy and other platforms.