In 2017, the world's total apple production was more than 76 million tons, 43.8 millions of which came from China. Chinese production and consumption of apples accounted for more than 50% of the world's total, two-thirds of this number were produced in the Northwestern Arid Region. However, affected by the cold spring of 2018, the Northwestern cultivation area has significantly reduced its production. This year, China's total apple production has declined for the first time in the past 10 years.
The total supply of apples exceeds demand, the usage of apples for juice processing is becoming less popular. The export of apples is blocked and the import has increased greatly. Because of the changes in China's economy, domestic farmers have begun to produce new varieties of fruits, which led to the decline in the apple consumption and a drop in apple prices. Despite the reduction in production, the situation hasn't changed fundamentally, there is still an oversupply of apples on the market. The price will continue to fall. As we can see from the recent market conditions, the trend for "higher quality - better prices, lower quality - difficult to sell" has become more apparent.
Source: Fruit Service Center