"The honey pomelo export season is already over in Pinghe. The regular export season begins every year in August and continues into February of the subsequent year. This year, however, just as the export season entered its final stage, China suffered from the outbreak of COVID-19, which created a significant disturbance in many export markets.
The export of Pinghe honey pomelo also suffered from the outbreak of COVID-19. The relation between supply and demand is close and the outbreak of COVID-19 had an impact on both sides. Furthermore, the speed with which overseas markets in particular are able to absorb the supply volume of honey pomelo played an important role too." This is according to manager Zhou, a spokesperson for Xiamen 4 Seasons Import & Export Co., Ltd. Xiamen 4 Seasons is a company that specializes in the export of honey pomelo from Pinghe.
Manager Zhou recently talked about the market conditions in the last weeks of the export season as well as the conditions in production areas.
"The products that circulate in overseas markets during the final weeks of the export season have generally been dispatched from China in December or January. Our export volume in January and February declined nearly 50% in comparison with the same period last year," said manager Zhou."In previous years, we still received new orders from overseas clients in January and February, but this year the export season was interrupted by the outbreak of COVID-19.
"Overseas clients keep a close eye on developments in China. At that time people were not sure whether the virus had any impact on the product quality of fruit. Some overseas buyers did not want to take that risk and decided to reduce their purchase volume. Some even stopped import altogether. By the middle of February, then, overseas markets themselves were affected by the global spread of COVID-19. Some clients who already ordered came to negotiate, because they wished to cancel the delivery of orders they placed in the middle of February. Market processes slowed down. China was in the middle of the most severe isolation measures. And companies struggled to resume operations. Furthermore, we were not sure that we would be able to clear customs quick enough to deliver our products on time. we therefore agreed with a number of traders to cancel their purchase orders. We were able to avoid a lot of trouble on both sides."
When asked about conditions in honey pomelo plantations this year, manager Zhou replied: "The spring was quite warm this year. Some of the honey pomelo trees in parts of Pinghe began to flower in the middle of February, but this is not entirely uncommon for honey pomelo trees. The ratio of flowers is quite high this year. We expect an abundant harvest if the weather conditions remain regular. The production volume will likely be larger than last year."
"Our main export markets are in Europe, North America, and the Middle East. The number of honey pomelo exporters is growing and competition grows fiercer every year. Overseas clients have increasingly higher standards for the product quality and price of Chinese honey pomelo. We are working hard to improve and innovate. We aim to provide our clients with the highest level of service. For example, all our products are GAP certified and we make sure the production of honey pomelo is fair."
When asked about the competitive advantage of Xiamen 4 Seasons, manager Zhou replied: "Our processing factories are located in Pinghe, right in the middle of the production area. Our own company takes care of the entire process from plantation, purchasing, processing, sales, and services. Furthermore, we maintain strict standards to guarantee the highest quality at every stage of the process. In addition, all our honey pomelo are exported directly from the production area. The absence of intermediaries allows us to keep the price low."
For more information:
Grace and Nicole
Xiamen 4 Seasons Import & Export Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 19942710243
Tel.: +86 0592-5838206
E-mail: info@4seasonsfruits.com