Per editor: Cheng Peng, Li Zedong, Gai Yuanyuan
No watermelon, no summer! Nowadays, all kinds of watermelons are on the market in large quantities, and recently, many consumers shouted that "this year's watermelons are expensive", and some even said that they encountered "watermelon assassins" of "18 yuan a pound".
May 29, #18元一斤? The topic of consumers shouting that watermelon is expensive#, has been on the hot search.
18 yuan/jin?
The overall price of watermelons this year has increased compared with last year
According to Guangzhou Daily, "Watermelon is expensive! "I can't afford to eat" is the feeling that many citizens have reflected this summer.
"Recently, I bought watermelon Leng Buding and was 'stabbed' with a sword. A 3 pound watermelon costs 30 yuan, which is equivalent to 10 yuan per catty. The price of fresh-cut Kirin watermelon fruit plate looks cheaper, 16.9 yuan a box, but look at the weight, this box weighs a pound. It is equivalent to 16.9 yuan per catty. "Citizen Ms. Xiao pinched her fingers to settle the account." In the past, vendors pulled a tricycle to sell watermelons at the entrance of the community, which was very cheap. ”
Some netizens posted a circle of friends, saying that now a watermelon costs more than 100 pieces, or about 3 kilograms of small and medium-sized watermelons!
According to Guangzhou Daily, the reporter conducted an investigation into online and offline channels and the wholesale market, and found that the price range of watermelons this year was wide and fluctuated slightly.
Offline, China Resources Vanguard stores sell a wealth of watermelon varieties, such as unicorn, sugar see, special Xiaofeng and other varieties are sold, among which, Kirin melon has two specifications, 2.5-3kg and 3-4kg, the price is 33.99 yuan / piece and 39.99 yuan / piece, equivalent to 5 yuan / jin ~ 6.80 yuan / jin.
The specifications of new varieties of sugar watermelon are generally 1-1.5kg, and the price is 29.99 yuan / piece, that is, 10 yuan / jin ~ 15 yuan / jin. Special Xiaofeng watermelon is yellow flesh watermelon, the specification is 1.5-2kg, the price is 29.99 yuan / piece, that is, 7.5 yuan / jin ~ 10 yuan / jin. "Compared with the same period last year, the overall price of watermelons this year is stable and slightly increased." The person in charge said.
Online, Dingdong supermarket, from the price of the whole melon, the cheapest is marked 4kg of domestic unicorn melon, priced at 45.9 yuan, equivalent to 5.74 yuan / jin, the most expensive is 1kg of Sumeng No. 6 small sugar pill watermelon, 21.9 yuan / piece. On the Hema line, 1 3kg Huangjing watermelon has a preferential price of 108 yuan, which is equivalent to 18 yuan / jin, and there is also a 5.33 yuan / jin unicorn watermelon.
"The overall market of watermelons has fluctuated this year, and the price has increased compared to the same period last year." Xu Changjie, a fruit buyer, said that in the past two years, the price of watermelons has become higher and higher. At present, the purchase price of unicorn melon in Yancheng production area in Jiangsu has reached 3 yuan / jin - 4 yuan / jin, coupled with the standardization of packaging, transportation and preservation, the premium is also gradually rising.
Why is watermelon expensive?
Reason 1: Watermelon enters the research and development of new varieties
According to Guangzhou Daily, new watermelon varieties on the market are increasing. At present, the mainstream consumption of watermelon varieties is unicorn melon and luscious melon. In the category of unicorn melon alone, there are also subdivided varieties such as 8424, Nanhui 8424, and Meidu.
In the development of new varieties, the combination of production, education and research, and even the development of new products according to different groups of people, invisibly, formed the development and cultivation cost, which is one of the reasons for the high price of new varieties of watermelon.
Judging from the market feedback, with the improvement of consumer awareness, watermelon has entered the stage of origin competition. Mr. Zhang, who is engaged in fruit e-commerce, said that his consumers often ask about the production area and variety of watermelon to make a preliminary purchase judgment, and the awareness of the production area has been strengthened. When he chooses products, he also tends to be more high-quality varieties of melons in high-quality production areas, "these can be sold at a higher price."
Reason 2: The cost of planting technology has increased
It is understood that in the past ten years, the production of mainland watermelons has completed the transition from open-field cultivation to facility cultivation. With the innovation of cultivation mode, new technologies such as special variety cultivation for facility cultivation, factory grafting seedlings, and multi-layer covering are increasingly matched.
"The mainland's watermelon planting mode, including hydroponic management and other technologies, has a fairly high level internationally, and the watermelons produced by the mainland occupy an important position in the world." Professor Yang Xian of the College of Horticulture of South China Agricultural University told reporters.
Image source: Visual China
The optimization of planting technology can make melon vines produce watermelons that are more fragrant and sweet, and the quality and specifications are more standardized, but the technical cost behind this has also increased accordingly.
Li Wenwang, deputy general manager of Shanghai Boxi Rice Village Agricultural Professional Cooperation Association, said that in the past, when planting extensively, farmers might also sell watermelons.
But now, they use the "one vine and one melon" planting method, delivering the most nutrients to this one melon through the melon vine, and only picking the head stubble watermelon; In order to ensure the nutrients of the land and avoid soil-borne diseases, the mechanism of planting every 5 years is initiated, and watermelons are planted only once in 5 years on the same land.
"Watermelon production is divided into self-rooted seedling planting production area and grafted seedling planting production area, the quality and taste of self-root seedlings will be better, and the land price will be about 30% higher, but generally after planting from the melon field of root seedlings, it is necessary to let the land rest for at least 3 years before continuing to plant; Grafted seedlings are generally grafted with pumpkin seedlings and can be continuously planted every year. Xu Changjie explained. All this has invisibly increased the cost of watermelon cultivation.
Reason 3: Changes in supply and demand
This is also a key factor in the price increase of watermelons.
"Generally, the price will be relatively high when it is just listed and hot, for example, when the early maturing unicorn melon is first launched in March and April, the land price can even reach 5 yuan / jin. Now the hotter the day, the more expensive the melon, the more and more demand, once the market is out of stock, the price will rise. Xu Changjie said. In addition, the increase in the cost of transportation makes the cost of watermelon higher
Cold knowledge: Chinese eats 70% of the world's watermelon
Previously, a statistic from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the World was widely circulated online: Chinese, which accounts for 20% of the world's population, eats 70% of the world's watermelons.
According to China Daily, in terms of output, China's annual watermelon output in 2020 was 60.2469 million tons, accounting for 59.29% of the world's total watermelon production. If you add up the total output of the world's second to tenth melon producing countries, it is only about 1/3 of China.
Despite producing nearly 60% of the world's watermelons, the mainland still imported about 97,000 tonnes of watermelons in 2020. Also in 2020, the mainland exported only about 44,000 tons of watermelons. I have to say that Chinese demand for watermelons is too great.
According to the statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics and the database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in 2020, China's watermelon cultivation area accounted for nearly half of the world's watermelon planting area, reaching 46.04%, making it the world's largest watermelon producer and consumer.
According to the global statistical database Statista, China's watermelon production from 2010 to 2020 exceeded 60 million tons. Turkey, the second largest producer of watermelons, produces far less than one-tenth of China's.
Image source: Statista's official website
Editor|Cheng Peng, Li Zedong, Gai Yuanyuan
Proofreader|Chen Keming
Cover image source: Visual China
Daily economic news is synthesized from Guangzhou Daily, China Daily, and public information
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