Agricultural products say goodbye to "price rises every holiday" - how to sell well and increase income?

During the National Day holiday, fish, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, vegetables and fruits were dazzlingly displayed and abundantly available. Farmers were busy bringing freshly harvested agricultural products to market, and distributors were also rushing to select fruits, vegetables, dried fruits and other products for sale. So what is the overall demand situation for agricultural products? What changes have taken place in the market? As people's lives get better and better, what requirements do people have for the varieties of agricultural products?

During the National Day holiday, prices of various agricultural products in Hefei were basically stable; in Changchun, prices of common vegetables fell more than they rose; in Shenzhen, fruit supply was sufficient and vegetable prices dropped slightly; even in Xiamen, which was heavily affected by the strong typhoon "Meranti," during this year's National Day Golden Week, not only was the supply of various agricultural products stable and sufficient, but aquatic products, which conventionally always rise in price during holidays, were basically "the same price before and after the holiday"...

Stable prices, sufficient supply, the same price before and after the holiday! Could it be that the phenomenon of agricultural product prices "rising every holiday," which had lasted for many years, has disappeared? Wang Zhiwei, who runs the largest supermarket in the village of Beidaxing in Dongye Town, Wutai County, Shanxi, told us with certainty:

Wang Zhiwei: Prices have basically not changed much. The main reason is that transportation is now relatively convenient and can basically meet market demand. When market demand is met, prices will not rise.

During the holiday, melons, fruits, pears and peaches, grain, oil, rice and flour, chicken, duck and fish did not rise in price, but sales volume increased significantly. In Wang Zhiwei's view, in the past 2 or 3 years, except for the Spring Festival, agricultural product prices during other holidays have not changed very noticeably:

Wang Zhiwei: Recently, just in the past 2 or 3 years, prices have been relatively stable.

Wang Zhiwei, who has run a supermarket in the village for more than ten years, no longer stockpiles goods in recent years waiting to sell at a good price during holidays. Now market supply is sufficient, and the villagers' lives are better off. They are no longer like before, when they would only be willing to buy and eat during the New Year and holidays. Shi Qingcai, an analyst at the Beijing Shuitun Agricultural and Sideline Products Wholesale Market, also has detailed observations on "price rises every holiday":

Shi Qingcai: From 2010 to now, the trend of "price rises every holiday" has been weakening year by year. There is a difference between holidays and non-holidays, but the difference is not very big. Looking at this Golden Week, apart from vegetables, prices of other agricultural products have operated relatively stably. Compared with previous years and the same period last year, both imported and domestic fruits have shown slight declines. Pork, beef and mutton, white-striped chicken, freshwater fish, grain and oil have all operated relatively stably. Vegetables, affected by low temperatures and continuous rainfall, rose slightly in price.

The agricultural product market, where prices are not rising and sales are promising, is also quietly undergoing changes. Wang Zhiwei, supermarket operator in Beidaxing Village, Dongye Town, Wutai County, Shanxi, told us:

Wang Zhiwei: People's quality requirements for food and agricultural products are gradually increasing. Also, people have relatively higher requirements for pollution-free, additive-free and green food.

From eating enough to eating well, now people in our village have also put forward higher requirements for healthy eating. **Zhang Zhenqiang, an analyst at the Urumqi Beiyuanchun Farmers Market, deeply agrees with this:

Zhang Zhenqiang: Now that people's living standards have improved, their quality requirements for agricultural products are getting higher and higher, especially concerning the quality and safety of agricultural products, such as whether pesticide residues exceed standards. They favor pollution-free agricultural products and organic agricultural products.

Traditional planting has problems such as blind planting, extensive management, and excessive chemical fertilizers and pesticides, leading to low quality. Some agricultural products flood the market at the same time, causing prices to be too low and even making them difficult to sell. Nowadays, people favor green, pollution-free and organic agricultural products. How should farmers adjust their structure and discover new profit points? How can they both sell well and increase income? **Zhang Zhenqiang, an analyst at the Urumqi Beiyuanchun Farmers Market, suggests:

Zhang Zhenqiang: Strengthen the management of agricultural product cultivation and breeding, as well as preliminary processing of agricultural products, create premium products, and establish brands. Increase added value, eliminate intermediary links, and connect directly with supermarkets and stores to raise returns. Sell agricultural products through online e-commerce platforms to further broaden sales channels and increase sales volume. Farmers should strengthen communication and contact with cooperatives and local governments, accurately understand the cultivation, breeding and sales situation of agricultural products, adjust the cultivation and breeding structure in a timely manner, and avoid the "rush en masse" phenomenon.

Today, with agricultural products extremely abundant, market demand is more diverse. Relying only on hard work is not enough to make money. While planting precisely and selling through multiple channels, more effort should also be put into variety improvement. Shi Qingcai, an analyst at the Beijing Shuitun Agricultural and Sideline Products Wholesale Market, suggests:

Shi Qingcai: Effort should be put into improving varieties. When planting white radishes, improve them into fruit radishes and Shawo radishes. Although improved and upgraded varieties may have somewhat lower yields, they can sell for a good price.