Yantai is one of the major cherry production areas in China and the new season there has officially begun. The harvest of early-season Red Lantern cherries begins on the 22nd of May, and Early Beauty cherries will be harvested from the 1st of June, while other varieties such as the Shamituo and the Black Pearl will follow on the 5th and 6th of June respectively. This is also the time of year when Xianfeng and Lapis cherry varieties enter the market.
The overall production volume in Yantai is bigger than in previous years. Although there was some frost earlier in the season, the impact of extreme weather conditions was concentrated in Penglai, Xixia, and Zhaoyuan, and only had a limited impact in major cherry production areas.
Yantai cherries
Not only is the production volume of Yantai cherries quite large this year, but the growing conditions were also better. The cherries benefited from favorable weather, especially sufficient rainfall. The cherries reached their ideal size because of these conditions. In addition, the orchard owners applied suitable product quality control.
"The main threat to cherries is the fruit fly, just like last year. This year the rainy weather facilitated the quick reproduction of fruit flies, which further exacerbated the problem for cherry orchard owners. A problem like that can quickly grow out of hand if it is not handled well. We implement standardized management to reduce the risk of fruit flies. And every year we work hard to prevent and cure this problem, which is why the fruit flies did not become a serious problem in our orchard this year." This is according to Mr. Wang Gangchun of Yantai City Muping District Lufeng Agricultural Plantation Co., Ltd.
Yantai cherries
The current price is not ideal. That is primarily the result of poor conditions in the Chinese fruit market. Take apples for example, in the last few months the price dropped and then dropped again. Compared to the purchase price of apples around Chinese Spring Festival [12 February, 2021], apple sellers currently lose around 2 yuan [0.31 USD] per 0.5 kg. As for cherries, Early Beauty cherries from Dalian are the first domestic cherries to arrive on the Chinese market every year and their price already dropped by 20 yuan [3.11 USD] per 0.5 kg since then. The prices of Early Beauty and Red Lantern cherries from glasshouse plantations in Yantai have reached a historical low point.
Workers select Yantai cherries
According to Mr. Wang Gangchun: "We supply top-quality cherries including Early Beauty, Shamituo, and Black Pearl cherries. These cherry varieties are large and very sweet. They also endure transport and storage quite well. This year we'll primarily sell in physical stores with some additional retail on e-commerce platforms. In previous years we worked together with SF Express. This year we'll expand our cooperation with JD Express Delivery.
"All our cherries are packaged and shipped immediately after they are harvested. We ship volumes based on the requirements of our customers and follow their preference for the most convenient and economic shipping method. For example, shipments of more than 300kg are dispatched to clients via air-freight and will arrive on the same day. That is how we guarantee the freshness of our cherries. More distant markets in Guangdong and Guangxi, for example, can also expect delivery within 12-18 hours. And from 3,000 kg and more we offer refrigerated shipping within 24 hours."
Yantai cherries
Wang Gangchun also explained that they provide WeChat traders and other e-commerce platforms with 1.5-2.5 kg bags of cherries and express delivery via SF Express or JD Express Delivery. Lufeng Agricultural Plantation has more than 10 years of experience in the production and supply of top-quality cherries.
For more information:
Wang Gangchun
Yantai City Muping District Lufeng Agricultural Plantation Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 131 8878 2275
E-mail: [email protected]