This is the time of the year when blueberry production areas in south China come to the end of their season and hand over the torch to blueberry production areas in north China. The season in Yunnan is practically over and the blueberries from Shandong have just entered the market. Manager Li, a spokesperson for Yantai City Jialin Family Farm Co., Ltd., recently talked about current conditions in the Chinese blueberry market.
The season in the Liaodong peninsula is already almost over, but glasshouse blueberries from Shandong have only just entered the market. They are fresh and their production volume is small. The price of common blueberries is around 50-60 yuan [7.75-9.30 USD] per 0.5 kg, but the price of top-quality blueberries is around 70-80 yuan [10.85-12.40 USD] per 0.5 kg. That is even more expensive than imported blueberries from Chile.
The blueberry season in Yunnan is already over. The Yangzi region and south China have entered the rainy season. And the product quality of their blueberries is deteriorating. The price of Shandong blueberries is expected to remain high until the end of May. Only when blueberries from south China enter the market in large volumes will the price come down again.
Chinese consumers demand around 1 million tons of domestic blueberries per year, but the production volume is only around 250 thousand tons. The market potential is huge. In first-tier cities the market demand for top-quality domestic blueberries is growing fast, and so the number of blueberry farmers in Shanghai has been on the rise for the last two years.
Aeroponic blueberry production has rapidly gained popularity since 2019. The investment is high, but the production volume is large and the production time is short. This method is highly efficient and capital-intensive.
In Yunnan the investment for aeroponic blueberry production is around 100 thousand yuan [15,490 USD] per 0.07 hectare. And in the north the investment is even higher around 200-300 thousand yuan [30-46 thousand USD] per 0.07 hectare. The south is therefore more attractive to companies. Driscoll's established their first aeroponic blueberry farm in Yunnan in 2014. After their initial success others quickly followed their example and began to invest in Yunnan. In 2019-2020 alone more than 25 international companies invested in Yunnan blueberry farms. Their investment and the overall surface area devoted to blueberry plantation in Yunnan continue to grow every year.
For more information:
Li Shaoming - Manager
Yantai City Jialin Family Farm Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 18663878528
E-mail: [email protected]