"Due to weather conditions, the overall harvest season of South African citrus has been delayed, resulting in a corresponding delay in arrival times in the Chinese market. For instance, South African sweet oranges are arriving about 1–2 weeks later than usual, but the initial quality of these arrivals is not ideal. Additionally, local juice factories in South Africa are willing to pay higher prices than the fresh fruit market, which affects the local enthusiasm for exporting fresh oranges." Imported citrus is one of the main products of Guizhou Shouyang Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. this season. Mr. Lyons Lee from the company provided the current relevant information.
"The main issues with the early arrivals of South African sweet oranges were their light colour, low hardness, and high loss rate. The quality was not as good as in previous years, resulting in unsatisfactory prices. Many batches were sold at a price of several dozen RMB per box due to poor quality. However, the quality of arrivals has improved since last week, and prices have slightly rebounded. Currently, high-quality arrivals are priced at about ¥170 per box, while lower-quality ones are about ¥140 per box, still relatively low compared to the ¥200 per box in previous years."
Compared with navel oranges, the market and sales of imported mandarins are better, partly due to their limited arrivals. "The current price of South African mandarins (Nadorcott) is relatively ideal, higher than the same period in previous years. The quality is good, and the sales speed is fast, but the quantity is small."
"The Peruvian mandarin production season was also delayed due to climate reasons. Their concentrated market time was delayed by half a month, and the arrival quantity was small. The quality and taste of early Peruvian mandarins were similar to previous years, with green peel and still sour taste. In addition to the low volume, last year's poor market performance for Peruvian mandarins reduced the number of merchants importing this year. The low market volume pushed up the price of Peruvian mandarins, rising by more than 30% compared to last year."
Furthermore, Lyons added that the current high price of mandarins is primarily due to their limited arrivals. If the volume increases in the future, prices are likely to fall rapidly. "The selling price of most categories of imported fruits this year is lower than the same period last year, and market demand is weak."
Guizhou Shouyang Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. is a branch of Shouyang Fruit, which sells a variety of imported and domestic fruits. Its business covers domestic and foreign procurement, wholesale, and specialty stores. It has its own brands, such as Yigoo Orchard, and its sales channels include wholesale markets, large supermarkets, and chain specialty stores.
Lyons Lee