Australian Citrus Fruits Finally Enters Chinese Markets

Article by: Hari Yellina

This week, Australian tangerines and oranges arrived at the Guangzhou Fruit Wholesale Market. As a result, the cost of imported oranges and tangerines decreased. Peaches are one of the most popular domestic fruits right now. Recently, Australian oranges were introduced to the Chinese market. Each box of 20kg costs about 410 yuan [60.81 USD] at retail. Around this time last year, the retail price per box was only about 360-370 yuan [53.39-54.88 USD], so the cost has increased by 10%. The delivery volume of Australian oranges is still quite limited, but the product quality is good, and there is always a market for premium import oranges, as some traders noted.

Australian tangerines have a smaller delivery volume. And compared to the previous two weeks, the cost of oranges from South Africa decreased. The cost of premium South African oranges at retail is approximately 200 yuan (US$29.66) per box, down from last week’s cost of 250 yuan (US$37.08). The cost of a box of medium-quality South African oranges decreased this week from 200 yuan (US$29.66) to 150-160 yuan (US$22.25-23.73). The whole cost dropped by between 20 and 25 percent. Other oranges that have been imported include Egyptian oranges, a tiny quantity of Spanish oranges, and the last deliveries of US oranges.

Grapefruit from South Africa has recently become more expensive. The retail pricing per box is currently approximately 150–160 yuan [22.25–23.73 USD], although it was only around 130–140 yuan [19.28–20.76 USD] last week. New Zealand, South Africa, and Chile dominate the Guangzhou market for imported apples. There is a minor volume of New Zealand green apples in addition to the popular Red Rose and Gala apples from New Zealand. Apple import prices and product movement, according to traders, are steady.

Peaches, plums, “big lychees,” winter jujubes, Shine Muscat grapes, and blueberries are typical domestic fruits seen in Guangzhou markets. The peach season is currently ongoing. Honey peaches, golden peaches, and flat peaches are popular kinds. According to one peach dealer, product movement is average and based on demand. A second peach merchant who specialises in Yangshan honey peaches said that brand, producing region, and price all affected product movement and pricing. The costs per package vary from 70 to 110 yuan, or 10.38 to 16.31 dollars. Yangshan honey peaches from Jiangsu cost 110 yuan ($16.31) per box, making them the costliest. But when the flavour is right, supply cannot keep up with demand. Product trafficking has only slowed in the previous two weeks, which may be related to Covid-19 outbreaks in surrounding towns.

Honey plums and Green Red Crispy plums are the most popular domestic plums in the Guangzhou market. The plums from Xinjiang Red Lion have just recently hit the market. The product movement is great, even though the supply volume is still quite tiny. Domestic blueberry supply is becoming less plentiful. The blueberries typically arrive in bunches, but they are more delicate when they are packaged. Domestic Shine Muscat grape supply is still very large, but brand matters when it comes to product circulation. Shine Muscat grapes come in several quality ranges. One trader claims that the second- and third-grade grapes are in high demand since they have the best price to quality ratio.