Sales and prices for imported fruit have not risen in line with expectations in China ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept. 8.

Photo: doctorho, via Flickr Creative Commons

Shanghai Oheng Import & Export Co Ltd general manager Kurt Huang told www.freshfruitportal.com the event was one of two major key sales windows in China where fruits were given as gifts.

"It seems like we'll be having a rather less festive Mid-Autumn celebration this year," Huang said.

"Even though high-end products such as Envy apples and Canadian cherries have been going strong, the prices of quite a number of staple goods, including oranges and longans, have been rather diasppointing."

He cited tough conditions as well for Australian oranges, which had seen "huge losses" in China this season.

"Australian oranges had a sensational performance in China last year, which led to this year's fierce competition for supplies. However, to the dismay of many exporters, as export volume soared, the market price of Australian organes totally crashed, leaving behind a string of catastrophic records," he said.

He said a similar situation had been registered for South African citrus fruit, which had a highly centralized supply schedule and suffered greatly amid a slump in market demand.

When asked about National Day holidays in October, Huang explained that such festivites had a limited impact on the fruit market even though they lasted longer than the Mid-Autumn Festival, as most Chinese people chose to travel instead of visiting friends and family.

He forecast that with domestic fruit back in the game starting this month, imported fruits were likely to maintain a stable yet sub-par performance until the end of the year when "superfruits" like Chilean blueberries and cherries hit the shelves.

"Every September and October, domestic Chinese fruits take over and dominate the market. If the customer finds no novelty in the imported fruit market during this period, they are less likely to choose pricier imported fruits over the in-season local delights," Huang said.

"This situation might last till mid-November, when Chilean blueberries and cherries re-ignite the imported fruit market."

Huang also expected the cherry market would boom once more for Chinese New Year celebrations in early 2015.

www.freshfruitportal.com