As the South African citrus production season develops, South African lemons have also been put on the market alongside grapefruits. With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, the sales of imported apple gift boxes are booming.
South African lemons are now on the market, and current prices are lower than early prices in previous years. Merchants attribute this to the overall decline in the fruit market and the large volume of locally produced lemons in China, which impacts the demand for imported lemons.
Left: South African lemons; Right: South African apples
The arrival of South African grapefruits continues to increase, and prices have gradually reduced. Currently, they are mostly priced at ¥150-¥160 each, about 15% lower than in the past. Merchants report that while the quality of the grapefruits is good, the large and rapidly increasing volume has led to high early-season prices followed by a rapid decline.
Regarding imported apples, merchants note that fewer South African and Chilean apples are arriving, causing prices to rise by about 40% to 50% compared to previous years. Chilean apples, in particular, have the least arrivals. The price of New Zealand Rose Apples has decreased due to the large arrival volume. Sales of gift boxes are strong due to the approaching Dragon Boat Festival.
Left: Yunnan blueberries; Right: South African grapefruits
The overall sales of imported durian have slowed down. The market for Thai Monthong durians remains stable, but the price of Vietnamese Kanyao durians has dropped. It is understood that the durian production season in eastern Thailand is ending, and the quality of recent arrivals is relatively unstable, making buyers cautious. The arrival volume of Vietnamese Kanyao durians is gradually increasing, with existing inventory causing prices to fall.
With the end of the Chinese pineapple production season, the price of imported pineapples has risen. Although off-season pineapples produced in China are still on sale, their overall volume is much lower. Among imported pineapples, the price of branded golden pineapples is the highest, about 50% more than MD2, and they are in short supply. Merchants note that the current price and arrival volume of golden pineapples are roughly the same as in previous years, with last year's highest prices.
Apple gift boxes
A small amount of California cherries continues to arrive, with prices dropping compared to last week. A box of 9R-class cherries sells for about ¥600. Some merchants mentioned that this year, the production of Chinese cherries is large, with taste and quality improving year by year. In comparison, California cherries do not have obvious advantages and are not resistant to storage, resulting in some products needing to be sold at lower prices. Some merchants also stated they will not sell California cherries this year and will only wait for Washington cherries due to their good taste and large market demand.
Imported pineapples and various Chinese fruits
Due to the small arrival of Vietnamese dragon fruit, prices have been rising for several consecutive weeks. There is still an increase this week, with first-class fruit prices rising to ¥230-¥240 each. Some merchants cited weather impacts on the harvest, and others noted that many Vietnamese fruit farmers have switched to durian, affecting the current production of dragon fruit.
As for Chinese fruits, Hainan Lychee King has had fewer arrivals due to a sharp drop in production, leading to high price fluctuations.