The production volumes of different pear varieties were smaller than last year's because of poor weather conditions during the production season. The overall volume of fresh pears in storage or in circulation is also down on previous years.
The harvest season of Imperial Crown pears is already over, and the harvest of Ya pears is coming to an end. Fruit processing factories are busily processing fresh pears. Ms. Li Xixi of Hebei Xionghan Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. recently talked about the current conditions in the Chinese pear industry.
The harvest season of Ya pears in Hebei is coming to an end. Industry specialists had predicted that the overall production volume of Ya pears would not decline too much as a result of poor weather conditions because the production season started somewhat late this year. In the end, however, the production volume of Ya pears declined as much as the production volume of Imperial Crown pears. The production volume is about 60%-70% smaller than last year. Ms. Li Xixi of Hebei Xionghan Agricultural Products explained the current situation in the domestic and export Ya pear markets.
According to Ms. Li, "the price of Ya pears went up in late August because of poor weather conditions during the harvest season, and the price has not come down since. Farmers are unwilling to harvest all their pears, to keep the price high. Furthermore, the ratio of spoiled fruit is relatively large. The price is now so high that we've received multiple enquiries from overseas clients who wonder how the price managed to rise this much."
The price remained high for two months. European buyers were hesitant at first, but have now accepted that the price is higher this season. "On the one hand, Europe has relatively strict standards for the residue of pesticides that is allowed in fresh pears. The ratio of top-quality pears that meet the European requirements is extremely small this year. On the other hand, overseas market demand is still as strong as ever. The rising price therefore has very little impact on the volume of orders we received from European buyers. Clients still need pears and they still order them from us."
When asked about the export market prospects in the upcoming few weeks, manager Li replied that market demand is still strong and the export price is therefore not likely to drop.
"The Netherlands is one of the main distributors of Chinese fruit in Europe. Our products are often first shipped to the Netherlands, where they are then transferred to southern Europe and eastern Europe. The pear harvest season recently started in the Netherlands and Belgium as well, and some of these pears will in turn be exported to Asia.
When asked about the impact of European pear supplies on the Chinese pear market, manager Li replied: "The flavors of European pears and Chinese Ya pears are very different. Furthermore, the export volume to China is relatively small. European pears have very little impact on the Chinese pear market. As for Europe, we have our retailers in the European market and our sales channels are quite stable. Our Ya pear sales in Europe are not likely to suffer from competition with European pears."
Chinese pears are very juicy but the peel of Chinese pears is quite thin, and they easily bruise. That is why they require careful packaging. Some high-end markets have high standards for packaging. The pears need to be protected, but the packaging also needs to be aesthetically pleasing and hygienic. "We have various packages to satisfy diverse consumer demand, including small plastic boxes with 4 or 6 pears each," said manager Li. "Although the processing cost of smaller packages is higher, we actually save money because fewer pears are lost during distribution and storage. In the end, the product quality is higher this way."
For more information:
Ms. Li Xixi - Manager
Hebei Xionghan Agricultural Products Co., Ltd.
WhatsApp: 0064211840824
Tel.: 0086-311-84335033
E-mail: [email protected]
