The peak season for the sales and export of kiwifruit in Dujiangyan, Sichuan starts from August to October every year. The main variety of kiwifruit produced in Dujiangyan is "Hongyang", with a golden flesh and a bright red heart. At present, most of the fruits are sold domestically and exported to Thailand. In order to know more about Dujiangyan kiwifruit, Freshplaza talked with Mr. Liu Haijun from Sichuan Hanqiang Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.
"Dujiangyan kiwifruit has varieties of red heart and green heart. Due to the relative scarcity of red heart kiwifruit, it is currently the main export variety. We mainly export to the Southeast Asian market, and in recent years, the Thai market has been the main destination. In June, the production area encountered dry weather resulting in decreased dry matter and sugar content of kiwifruit, and the taste is not as good as in previous years. In addition, the current consumption power of the export market is relatively weak. Therefore, the export price is lower than last year. The export volume is basically the same." Mr. Liu said.
In terms of changes on the sales side, sales through e-commerce channels accounted for about 40% of local kiwifruit sales in the past. "In previous years, we launched a pre-sale event about a month before the kiwi fruit ripened, which was very helpful for sales. But the e-commerce platform does not conduct pre-sales this year, and some areas have poor logistics due to the lockdown. This has had a certain impact on the overall sales of the origin."
Meanwhile, the production area in Dujiangyan is undergoing a large-scale replacement of green-heart kiwifruit varieties. The traditional local green-heart kiwifruit variety was Hayward. It has gradually failed to meet market demand from different aspects in recent years. After research, local growers decided to replace this variety with the Ruiyu variety which is currently popular in the market and suitable for planting in Dujiangyan. After trial planting and improvement last year, a large-scale replacement is being carried out this year. About 20,000 mu of orchards will be replanted within the year, and it is planned to complete the replanting of all orchards within three years.
Sichuan Hanqiang Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. is engaged in the planting, purchase, storage, sorting, packaging, and sales of kiwifruit. The company has its own planting base, factory, 4-channel sorting line, and cold storage. The total annual output of kiwifruit is about 3,000 tons. Its sales channels include wholesale markets, community group buying, online e-commerce, and fruit chain stores.
For more information:
Contact: Liu Haijun
Sichuan Hanqiang Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86 13402858882
Email: [email protected]