The preservation time of longan fruit is short. Normally two days after picking, the fruit starts to deteriorate. Even when preserved in a refrigerator the fruit only stays good for 3 - 5 days. Preservation, storage and transportation are the biggest sales problems for this fruit.
This year, longan fruit entered the market strong. The cooperation started to sell fresh longan fruit on Taobao, Tianmao and other platforms, but the results were not perfect. After a few days of test selling, they were forced to stop online sales. Zhang Yan Song of the company's after sales costumer service said: "It is more difficult to sell fresh and raw products online than other products. If the distribution is less demanding than the customer demand, or after deducting the costs of production, logistics and distribution, there is basically no profit or even a loss."
Minzhong Organic Food Cooperation had to adjust preservation technologies, transportation and other aspects. Now, the cooperation uses pre-cooling for better preservation of fresh longan fruit. After fresh longan is contained at about 5 degrees Celsius for 24 hours, it is wrapped in a small box filled with ice.
After exploration, Putian longan fruit entered the online market again. In mid-September, online marketing activities of the longan festival and agricultural by-products congregated for the first time on Taobao, is was the start of cost-effective sales. In only two days, 34272 orders were placed, with a total of nearly 30,000 kilograms of longan and other fresh fruits.
Source: Fujian Daily