"On April 21, our first batch of lychees arrived in the Netherlands by air. Up to now, we have exported 4 batches of lychees to Europe this year. Since early May, lychees exported to Australia, the United States, Canada, Panama and other places have been shipped one after another," said Mr. Lin Bo, general manager of Guangdong Zefengyuan Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. The company is currently busy with the lychee export business.
"From April to May, lychees from Hainan and Guangdong are mainly exported. Affected by the weather, this year's lychee production season has been postponed by about a week. In some production areas, lychees are smaller but taste better. The export delivery time has also been postponed accordingly. For example, the first container was shipped to North America on May 3 last year, and it was shipped around May 12 this year. Judging from the current situation, the export volume of lychees this year has increased year-on-year. Among them, the export of lychees from Hainan has increased by about 20%, and the export of lychees from Guangdong has increased by 10%-15%; the export price has risen slightly compared with last year."
"In terms of the export market, importers in the European and American markets are more active than ever. When the price of lychees reached ￥40-￥60/kg at the earliest stage, some importers had already made purchases and sold them out quickly locally. In previous years, European and American markets had to wait for the price of lychees to drop to ￥20/kg before starting shipments. However, this year, shipments have been arranged when the price is ￥24-￥26/kg. The local sales of these batches are still unclear. On the other hand, we are preparing for the RCEP market, which will start soon when the price of lychee drops to ￥16/kg, and the daily shipment volume is estimated to be 50-60 tons."
"The current situation is that many importers want to ship, but at the same time, they are also worried about whether the local market will accept the price. Lychee production has not yet reached its peak, and the market demand remains to be seen."
According to Lin, in recent years, the Chinese government has vigorously promoted the export of lychees, and the number of destination countries has increased to 20, adding new markets in the Middle East and Africa including Kuwait and Kenya. At the same time, the export volume continued to grow.
Talking about the production season, Lin said that at the beginning of the year, the lychees bloomed well, which should have been a good year, but then the production area experienced low temperatures and rainy weather, severe flower drop, and fewer fruit sets than expected, so this year is a medium and big production year for lychees.
Guangdong Zefengyuan Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. currently exports lychee varieties mainly "Feizixiao" shipped by sea and air, "Baitangying" shipped by air, and a new Guangdong variety "Keji No. 1" that began to be exported last year. The export brands include "Xiazhili", "Zefengyuan", and the brand "Super Fruta" in cooperation with French partners, which are exported to Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, the Middle East and Africa, and RCEP member countries. The company's new standardized and intelligent processing center was completed on May 19, and it is estimated that the export capacity will increase by 50%.