Sichuan is one of the most important lemon producing areas in China. The new lemon harvest will start in early October, around the same time as last year.
The lemons suffered from extreme weather conditions during the growing season. Mr. Jiang Minghai of Shanghai Sea Fruit Trading Co., Ltd. explained the situation as follows: "The poor weather conditions affected this year's lemons. The product quality is barely satisfactory. The lemons suffered from excessive rainfall during the growing season. As a result, their product quality declined, although in the end their flavor is still alright. The appearance of the lemons suffered the most. The lemons did not change color properly because the conditions were not right. The color is still not ideal, which will affect sales. The color and brightness of a lemon are important factors in the Chinese retail market. The appearance of this year's lemons will certainly create sales difficulties."
Sichuan lemon orchard
Mr. Jiang also discussed the production volume of lemons this year. According to him, lemon supply will be more than sufficient. Although the product quality suffered from extreme weather conditions, the production volume remained the same as last year. "When supply is more than sufficient, then the balance between supply and demand is destroyed. This puts pressure on the price of lemons. The lemon price recently experienced frequent fluctuations, but the fluctuations remain within reasonable limits. The current purchase price in lemon production areas is around 1.5 yuan [0.21 USD]. Not counting the price of processing and such, the market price of lemons is normally around 3 yuan [0.28 USD]. How the price will develop in the next few months is still difficult to tell."
"Supply will run low in the last few months before the new production season begins. Additional lemon supply will come from Thailand and Taiwan to maintain supply stability. We currently sell our lemons mainly in such first-tier cities as Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. We are also willing to consider export if overseas buyers express interest."
Fresh lemons in the packaging area
For more information:
Mr. Jiang Minghai
Shanghai Sea Fruit Trading Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 136 2191 0050