The tangerine harvest in China has begun. Several new product varieties enter the market one by one. However, the COVID-19 epidemic, which broke out shortly after the Chinese Spring Festival [25 January, 2020], has had a severe impact on the Chinese fruit market. Sales conditions were far from ideal.
Mr. Lu Yishuai, a member of the residential committee of Dongfeng community in Wuming, Guangxi, recently shared his analysis of current conditions in the citrus fruit market: "Our Orro tangerine production area is located in Wuming county in Nanning, Guangxi. The majority of the processing factories there have now returned to business as usual, but sales are still slow. Although the market is gradually opening up, people are still anxious about travelling longer distances. People who travel are still subject to restrictions related to the corona virus outbreak, which means that the number of visiting traders who normally come to production areas to discuss business is now much lower than usual. Fruit is not easy to sell in first-tier cities because of isolation measures. In addition, some of the fruit has fallen off the trees as a result of excessive rainfall. All of these developments create a backlog of products."
The Orri tangerine is unique in comparison with other tangerine varieties. The Orri tangerine can remain on the tree for a long time. According to Mr. Lu Yishuai, "The period that Orri tangerines can spend on a tree is longer than normal. The tangerines can remain on the tree between January and May. The harvest season has just begun. The market price is currently 3-4 yuan [0.42-0.56 USD] per 0.5 kg. The price is somewhat lower than the 5-6 yuan [0.71-0.85 USD] per kg around this time last year. Farmers find it difficult to make a profit under these circumstances. They are not very willing to sell their stock. However, buyers are able to put pressure on the price because the supply volume is large. Buyers are eager to expand their profit margin at the expense of farmers, who bear the burden of financial loss."
"The Chinese market also sells other tangerine varieties that can spend quite a long time on the tree. One example is the Maogu tangerine. However, the flavor of the Orri tangerine is better than the Maogu tangerine. That is why the sales conditions of the Orri tangerine stand out in the Chinese market. This is the reason why some sellers will pretend their Maogu tangerines are Orri tangerines. We concentrate on the sales of Orri tangerines. We can supply stock based on customer requests. The domestic market is currently improving, and we are taking this opportunity to strengthen the connection between farmers and traders. The sooner we sell our Orri tangerines, the sooner we can relieve the pressure on farmers with stock. We also hope to export the Orri tangerines if it is at all possible. The flavor of Orri tangerines is excellent and we have abundant supply."
For more information:
Lu Yishuai
Guangxi Nanning City Wuming County Fucheng Town Dongfeng Community Residential Committee
Tel.: +86 13557996756