Winter jujubes from Dali, Shaanxi Province, China, entered the market in early May, roughly two weeks earlier than in previous years. This season's crop has performed well, with consistent quality in terms of taste, sugar content, and size. Moreover, the farm-gate prices are lower compared to the same period last year.
"Recently, production-area prices for Dali winter jujubes have risen, but market-end prices remain under pressure and have not followed suit, resulting in an inversion between farm-gate and wholesale prices," said Mr. Zhou Liang from Shaanxi Biaotou Agriculture. "For example, by the end of last week, production-area prices were around $3.85–$4.13 per kilogram, with premium-grade fruit fetching $4.95–$5.50 per kilogram. However, the wholesale market price for large fruit was only about $4.95 per kilogram."
The production is currently transitioning from greenhouse-grown fruit to fruit cultivated in steel-frame, quilt-covered greenhouses. The greenhouse season is nearing its end, and this year's greenhouse yield is lower than usual. Conversely, output from steel-frame greenhouses is expected to rise. Several days of overcast weather in the growing region have slowed fruit development, leading to reduced overall supply and a subsequent rise in farm-gate prices. However, given the current consumer market environment, retail prices have been unable to keep pace. Compared with the same period last year, wholesale market prices are down approximately 10%–15%.
Regarding supply and market trends, Mr. Zhou explained, "So far, the quality of greenhouse-grown jujubes has not matched last year's standards. In contrast, the early harvests from steel-frame, quilt-covered greenhouses have shown improved quality and increased yield. We expect output from these greenhouses to rise by 20%–30% year-on-year by July, and farm-gate prices may fall below ¥20/kg ($2.75). We believe that the Dali winter jujubes arriving in July will be high in quality, abundant in volume, and reasonably priced, a win-win for both sellers and consumers."
Shaanxi Biaotou Agriculture offers Dali winter jujubes in various packaging specifications, including 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, 5, and 9-kg foam boxes, as well as supermarket-standard and gift box formats. These products are distributed across East, South, and North China. In addition to winter jujubes, the company also supplies Yunnan blueberries and Shaanxi apples, primarily through supermarket channels.
