China's 2024 ginger harvest began around October 10, with newly harvested ginger now entering the "rounding stage," a month-long period critical for curing. Freshly preserved ginger is expected to hit the market in late November, with air-dried ginger following in late December. Current sales of last season's ginger are winding down, with stable pricing in place. Mr. Zhang, Sales Manager at Jining Greenstream Fruits & Vegetables Co., Ltd., a Shandong-based ginger producer and exporter, shared recent insights on the market and export outlook.
"This year, higher-than-average temperatures have delayed the harvest by roughly a month," said Mr. Zhang. "Planting areas expanded this season, with expected output up around 10% from last year. The ginger's size, color, and thickness are all showing improvement over last season."
About 80% of China's ginger is stored in underground cold storage by farmers, with the remaining 20% handled by commercial warehouses. "Warehouse operators are currently conservative about pricing and hesitant to purchase new ginger," noted Zhang. "However, with the majority stored by farmers, they have flexibility in sales timing. Prices are likely to remain steady in the near term but may trend downward over the long run."
Shipping could face constraints as international markets prepare for the holiday season, with anticipated tight shipping positions in November likely driving up freight costs, which could reduce short-term demand.
In addition to ginger and garlic, Jining Greenstream also exports grapefruits and lemons. They recently attended Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong, held from September 4 to 6. "We connected with many new and returning customers at the event and were quite pleased with the response," Zhang concluded.
