Why are imported fruits selling so well? An analysis of the reasons behind it

In 2015, what fruits did Jinhua residents love to eat, and what vegetables did they commonly eat? These can be seen in the annual market report just released by the Jinhua Agricultural Products Wholesale Market.

Compared with the previous year, Jinhua residents were more willing to spend money on food. In 2015, the trading volume and transaction value of the Jinhua Agricultural Products Wholesale Market increased by 28.0% and 25.2% year on year, respectively, reaching 230,000 tons and 1.2 billion yuan.

Fruits: good-looking and tasty imported fruits are favored

Ms. Gong runs a fruit specialty shop called "Qianfeng Fruit Business Department" in the Jinhua Agricultural Products Wholesale Market. As the end of the year approaches, business at the shop is good, and she is extremely busy.

"A bit harder than before," Ms. Gong said. In her shop, both imported and domestic fruits are available in no small quantities. In the past, business relied mainly on wholesale, but over the past two years, institutional orders for large batches at a time have become fewer and fewer, and they have also paid more attention to the retail side aimed at ordinary citizens.

Such changes are reflected in almost the entire market. According to statistics from the Jinhua Agricultural Products Wholesale Market, in previous years shops operated on their own for about 12 hours, but this year it was generally extended to 16 hours, just to close a few more deals. Fortunately, the other side of the decline in institutional orders is the rise of mass consumption. Among these, the increase in imported fruits is especially obvious.

Data: statistics show that this year the imported fruit trade at the Jinhua Agricultural Products Wholesale Market had good momentum, with a large increase in transactions, 46.7% more than in 2014.

Taking the sales growth of five imported fruit varieties - dragon fruit, cherries, mangosteen, longan and durian - as an example, they increased by 59.7%, 43.0%, 36.4%, 19.5% and 12.7% year on year, respectively.

Reasons: why are imported fruits selling so well?

Market management personnel believe that one reason is policy-related. In recent years, customs entry procedures have become increasingly simplified, various taxes and fees have been reduced, and ports in many places have opened, making customs clearance more convenient.

Second, imported fruits have advantages in appearance, taste, packaging, reputation and food safety. Citizens have gradually changed their consumption concepts and are willing to spend more money on higher-grade fruits, which has to a certain extent boosted the hot sales of imported fruits.

Another reason is that Jinhua residents are increasingly keen on celebrating foreign festivals.

Mr. Ni's Weimin Fruit Wholesale Department mainly sells apples. He told reporters that the arrival of Christmas Eve and Christmas greatly increased apple sales in his shop.

"For 'World No. 1' apples, one costs more than 20 yuan, yet many people still buy them."

Market staff said that on December 13, 2015, the daily sales of apples in the market were only about 30 tons/day, but by December 20, they suddenly increased to 60 tons/day, with an average weekly increase of 100%, and the average transaction price also rose sharply.

Vegetables: these vegetables that sell well - does your family often eat them?

In 2015, local vegetables in Jinhua traded more than 40,000 tons, of which celtuce alone traded more than 16,000 tons.

Of course, this is not because Jinhua residents eat celtuce at almost every meal, but because Jinhua is one of the three major celtuce production areas in the country, with 80% sold elsewhere, but by calculation it is still the local vegetable that Jinhua residents eat the most.

Statistics show that among vegetables, other major varieties with annual sales exceeding 1,000 tons include bitter melon, zucchini, tomato, Chinese cabbage, scallion and cowpea, with 50% sold elsewhere.

These vegetables - I wonder whether you eat them often?

Tea: hard to sell last year, prices more affordable

Wuyi is the hometown of Chinese organic tea. In most people's impression, Jinhua's tea market should be bustling with business.

In fact, the 2015 spring tea trade seemed relatively flat, with trading volume and transaction value even showing slight declines of 2.0% and 9.0% year on year compared with the year before.

A considerable amount of mid- and low-grade spring tea came onto the market, and prices were more affordable than in previous years. For ordinary people who really want to drink tea, this is actually good news.

Analysts believe that the reasons are not unrelated to the central government's high-pressure stance, which restricted the consumption of high-grade spring tea. In addition, many enterprises were in poor operating condition and also reduced their purchases of spring tea.