The harvest season of navels in South Jiangxi Province, China is to kick off on November 20. Although a large part of the harvest is comprised of small sizes due to dry weather, this hasn’t posed any adverse effect on the order volume and prices. Liu Hui, Manager of Yuan’an County Navel Brother Specialized Agricultural Cooperative, analyzed the sales prospects for this season.
“In terms of production, the crops were affected by the dry weather in the later season, and fruit couldn’t get sufficient moisture, which led to smaller sizes compared with previous years. The overall volumes on the market may be slightly lighter. As large volumes are not yet available, I’m not able to accurately predict market pricing. My own orchard has a production this year of about 150,000 kilos, basically on par with 2018. Farmgate prices for locally grown navels this season are about 3 yuan/kg, and shipment prices after sorting are around 8 yuan/kg. Currently, sales prices on the market are 12-18 yuan/kg. Our prices are slightly higher than other similar products on the market, but thanks to our fixed sales channels, our prices each year are not very different.”
Regarding currently market distribution, Liu said, “Navels are sold in gift boxes based on their quality grades. Premium grades are mainly sold to consumers, while middle- and lower-end grades are mainly sold to wholesale markets and e-commerce platforms. Volumes move faster in traditional wholesale channels, and Jiaxing and Xinfadi are the main distribution markets, but orders through micro-business and e-commerce platforms are gradually increasing, mainly from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Wenzhou.”
People’s purchasing methods are changing in China, and many navels are sold at incredibly low prices on e-commerce platforms. Liu said with frustration, ”Whether it’s promotional campaigns to attract visitors or false advertisements, such marketing methods are against the law of markets and will mislead consumers."
Anyang County Navel Brother Specialized Agricultural Cooperative, located in Cangzhou City, was established in 2013. The company specializes in the cultivation and sale of citrus products. In addition to navels, they also grow a variety of fruits such as cara cara blood oranges, red beauty oranges, kiwifruit, eagle mouthed peaches, and passion fruit. When talking about the company's future sales plan, Liu said, “We are currently planning 500 mu of organic orchards, and hope to bring high-quality organic fruits to consumers in more countries as soon as possible.”
More information:
Contact: Liu Hui
Company: Anyuan County Navel Brother Specialized Agricultural Cooperative
WeChat: 13132567592
Phone: +86 18688811588
E-mail: [email protected]