Sichuan red crisp plums are starting a new production season. Red Crisp Plum is a late-ripening variety produced in China. It has the characteristics of a thick waxy bloom, crisp and sweet flesh, and storage resistance. The launch season is from early August to mid-to-late September every year, and it has an advantage because there are fewer similar competing products on the market during the same period.
"This year's red crisp plums have just started to go on the market. There was extremely heavy rainfall at the end of last month, and the subsequent days of rain caused serious damage to red crisp plums. Especially in the large fruits, many plums have cracks and burst juice." Sichuan Meitesen Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. grows and sells red crisp plums in Gulin County, Sichuan. Mr. Gu Tao, from the company, said that the weather conditions were relatively stable before July, but a strong wind brought by typhoon "Doksuri" in late July had a serious impact on the local area, and the production was greatly reduced.
"The red crisp plum planting base is at a relatively high altitude, so the orchard has not been flooded. However, the heavy and continuous rainfall has caused the fruit trees to absorb too much water, and the fruits are prone to cracks and cannot be sold. This year's production is expected to decrease by more than 50%, and the proportion of large fruits is reduced. The yield of small fruit is acceptable at present, and it is easier to sell." Rainfall has an impact on the Brix of plums. According to Gu, the Brix has reached 11-12 at present, and it will reach 13-14 degrees in a few days. Even though the Brix this year is not as good as before, it can still reach the range accepted by the market.
In terms of price, Gu said that the current price is similar to the past, and has not increased due to production reduction. "Currently, the price of small fruit at the base is about ￥2/kg, and that of large fruit is about ￥4.2-￥4.4/kg, which is close to that of previous years. Considering the economic environment this year, and fruit farmers hope to sell smoothly, there is no price increase. At present, most of the sales are of small fruits, and most of the customers are from e-commerce channels. The characteristics that make it resistant to storage and transportation are very popular among e-commerce companies."
It is understood that Gulin is one of the key production areas of red crisp plums in Sichuan. Under normal circumstances, the total output can reach more than 50 million kilograms. According to Gu, in addition to cultivation and sales of fresh fruits, they are considering the development of deep processing, such as making plum wine, to develop new channels for the annual surplus production and non-commercial fruits.
The main fruit products of Sichuan Meitesen Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. include red crisp plums, peaches, and oranges. Among them, the red crisp plum has over 33 hectares of orchards and plans to expand the cooperative orchards this year. Sales channels include e-commerce, community group buying, and offline markets.
