The variety of gift boxes on the fruit market is increasing, featuring designs in preparation for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Among these, gift boxes containing apples and oranges are the most popular. Seasonal fruits like seedless pomegranates, Qiuyue pears, and Xinjiang plums have also made their way into gift sets as soon as they arrived on the market.
Earlier, many traders expected the Mid-Autumn Festival market to pick up by the end of August, but so far, there hasn't been a significant change. They anticipate that demand might increase in early September.
Apple Gift Set
The prices of apples and citrus fruits have not risen due to the festival, but some traders report that apple sales have improved, especially for gift boxes, which have seen a significant boost. Depending on market trends, the price of apple gift boxes may rise next week. In contrast, overall sales of imported oranges remain slow. Recently, many traders have introduced gift box packaging for Cambria oranges, which is currently selling better than traditional large box packaging.
Orange gift box
As the supply of Xinjiang plums increases, prices have dropped further, with significant variations. According to traders, the price for 2kg plastic frame packaging is commonly around ¥30 per box, while carton packaging ranges from ¥5 to ¥10 per box, about 50% lower than previous years. One trader noted that although plum sales are high this year, the market price remains low due to the large supply, making it challenging to sell high-quality batches at a premium. Currently, high-quality plums (i.e., large size, dark color, good wax bloom, and taste) are priced at around ¥16-18 per kg, while ordinary or lower-quality plums are priced at about ¥10-12 per kg.
Left: Peruvian blueberries; right: China's Xinjiang plums
Peruvian blueberries have arrived in small quantities, and prices are high due to market shortages. A particular brand has arrived with a specification of 20mm+, selling at around ¥300 per box, with limited quantity. A buyer immediately took interest in this batch, noting that there has been a long-standing shortage of imported blueberries.
Sales of imported avocados have slowed recently, with prices dropping from around ¥140 per box two weeks ago to about ¥110 per box recently.
Left: Thumb watermelons; right: Australian Sumo Citrus
A small batch of Australian Sumo Citrus mandarins has arrived, selling for about ¥200 per box. Traders note that the more wrinkled the peel, the sweeter the fruit.
Vietnamese dragon fruit is out of stock for first-grade quality, and second-grade is in short supply, with mostly third-grade available for sale. Traders report that recent arrivals have been fewer, leading to an increase in price.