There are many lychee varieties on the market. The main varieties currently on the market are Feizi Xiao [smile of the concubine's son], Baitang Ying [white sugar jar], Gui Wei [taste of Guilin], and Nuomi Ci [glutinous rice cake]. The replacement of the old Black Leaf lychee trees with new trees has been too slow in the last two years and the production volume was difficult to sell. Black Leaf lychees are too big, and consumers do not favor them. This variety is slowly receding from the market and plantations are dwindling.
The warm winter of 2017 retarded the ripening of lychees, in particular the mid-season and late-season varieties such as Gui Wei suffered, which greatly decreased the production volume that year. However, with a limited supply last year the price went up. This year almost all the lychee trees blossomed and the quality seems to be relatively good. People in the industry expect a bumper harvest this year. Early in the season prices will be reasonable, but later in the season competition will increase as lychees arrive on the market in large volumes, and the price will then go down.
Source: iFreshFair
