Yantai is one of the main production areas of red Fuji apples in China. The new harvest will enter the Chinese market in the middle of October. The production areas still suffered from hailstorms in early October, as well as continuous rainfall. Some of the apples developed rust spots, which will undoubtedly have an impact on the production volume and the average product quality of red Fuji apples this year. However, so far the impact has barely spread to smaller production areas such as Penglai.
"In truth, many apple production areas throughout the country have suffered from extreme weather conditions this year. The overall production volume of Chinese apples is estimated to decline by 20%. The market is likely to polarize between low prices for poor-quality apples and high prices for top-quality apples. The price for top-quality apples may even rise somewhat in comparison with previous years." This is according to Mr. Lu Lin of Yantai Xitian Farm Co., Ltd.
Red Fuji apple
Mr. Lu Lin continued, "there have been several new apple varieties in the market that did quite well in the last few years, such as the Jinshuai and Guoguang varieties. But in terms of consumer appreciation the red Fuji apple is still number one. In the new season we are selling our red Fuji apples under our own brand 'Xitian' [Happy and Sweet]. We primarily sell via offline retail channels, but have begun to augment our retail strategy with online sales as well. Our apples are mostly sold in high-end gift markets and high-end hotels or restaurants.
For more information:
Mr. Lu Lin
Yantai Xitian Farm Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 152 6677 7866
E-mail: [email protected]