Rapid Expansion of Pitaya Planting Scale: Strict Quality Control to Prevent Unsold Stock

Pitaya is a tropical fruit that everyone loves. With the pitaya market booming in recent years, the cultivation volume of pitaya in China has been gradually increasing, and the varieties being grown have also been continuously expanding. According to statistics, this year in China's Hainan region alone, newly added pitaya planting area reached 5000-6000 mu, and it is expected that by May next year, the fruit-producing area can reach 15000-17000 mu.

Such a large output will inevitably impact the existing market. How can these newly added yields be sold? And in the face of an increasingly hot demand market, how should farmers precisely position themselves and supply according to demand?

In recent years, the domestic pitaya market has been very good, with relatively high economic benefits. As an economic crop, the output value per mu can reach more than 10,000 yuan, which is 2 to 3 times that of other non-economic crops. Moreover, pitaya is relatively easy to grow. Planted at the beginning of this year, by the end of the year there can be a small amount of new fruit, and in the second year, the output can reach about 70 percent of the maximum yield, with a relatively fast return on investment. Many producing-area governments also strongly support the pitaya industry. Nowadays, the pitaya industry in many southern regions has been developing like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

With such a large expansion of planting, next year the output of pitaya will be even greater, and the pressure of market shipping should not be underestimated. Industry insiders have said one after another that expanding downstream markets is urgent. Grower He Fen expressed her concerns.

Although in recent years the cultivation area of pitaya in China has expanded rapidly year by year, because market consumer demand has grown even faster, there is a large gap in the pitaya market. According to market surveys in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and the Northeast region, daily sales volume is about 30 to 60 tons. Chi Heng, a market analyst at Yimutian, said that according to research, red-fleshed pitaya, which has a greater advantage in taste and sweetness-acidity balance, is more popular with consumers, and growers also get higher returns.

Because growing pitaya has the characteristics of being simple to plant, quick to show results, and good in returns, in addition to regions such as Guangdong and Hainan, other more northern provinces such as Zhejiang, Henan, and Shaanxi are also using new planting techniques for cultivation. Chi Heng said on this matter: under the broader market environment, the phenomenon of the same kind of fruit being both in high demand and unsold occurs from time to time, so farmers are advised to strictly control quality and produce premium fruit.