The head of a leading Chinese produce company says upgrades are needed within the industry to ensure competitiveness and sustainability as fruit consumption grows. 

Joy Wing Mau chairman Liu Mau Wah's comments came during the 2017 International Fruit Conference held in Shanghai from Sept. 1-2, which saw a range of speakers address the audience on topics including the Chinese economy and e-commerce trends.

The executive mentioned three fruit commodities whose industries were in need of improvement.

He said that although China was the world's leading table grape producer by volume, the varieties it grew were outdated and it was unclear what the new direction for the industry would be.

The citrus industry has had its peak with the Gannan Navel variety, Liu added, also mentioning the devastating spread of citrus greening disease.

He also described the apple industry as aging.

Liu said a priority for the fruit industry needed to be developing and bringing in new, premium fruit varieties in order to upgrade it.

He pointed out, however, that not only was this a long process but also that many varieties developed overseas would not be well received by Chinese consumers.

Cooperation within the industry would also be a crucial factor if it is to successfully adopt new fruit varieties, he said.

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