China: Export of pears and apples from Shandong province up 40%

"The pear and apple production season starts in July and August and ends in May and July of the following year. This year pear and apple export rates have increased up to 40% compared to the previous year. This is because India's giant market was opened up and that brought down prices on the pear and apple market." says Mr. Wang Xiangyang from Dongyuan Agricultural Products Ltd. in Guang county, Shandong province.

Hailstones cause a drop in pear production
"Generally speaking, pear production this year was lower than in previous year's and the rate of fruits suitable for selling went down as well. This is beacause of excessive hailstone storms and other natural disasters that took place in recent years, which affected the fruit's appearance. However, owing to this year's higher total output of apples, and the fact that there was a suplus held over from last year, export prices of apples decreased by about 30% in one year. On the other hand, smog doesn't really affect pear and apple production, because fruit trees are in their period of dormancy when it hits."

Targeting the European market
"Our company has 300 apple and 500 pear fields in Shandong province, the main varieties being Fuji apple, Golden pear, Hosui Asian pear, Chinese white pear, Shandong pear, Crown pear and Green gem pears. Except for the small part that is sold to Shenzhen and Hongkong, the rest of the yield is exported to foreign markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Bangladesh and other Southeast Asian countries. At the moment, our yearly export consists of 100 containers of pears and 80 containers of apples."

"We are at a point when our company is working hard to enter the European market."

Oliver Wang (Wang Xiangyang)
Guangxian Dongyuan Agricultural Product.
Telephone: +86 15865779806