Edited by Li Zedong
Chilean cherries in the southern hemisphere are listed in China from November to January of the following year, which is not only the scarce season of fruits in China, but also coincides with the period of Christmas, New Year's Day, and Chinese New Year.
In this way, the prime time of "Cheerilee Freedom" is just around the corner.
Recently, a number of netizens posted on social platforms, saying that when they were shopping in a fruit store recently, they found that the newly listed Golden Cherries were selling well, but they were scared by the price at the checkout. A netizen in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, said that she bought a box of strawberries and a box of golden cherries in a brand chain fruit store, with a total price of more than 630 yuan.
Taking Golden Cherries as an example, the retail price of B-grade large fruits is 359 yuan a catty, and the discounted membership price is 349 yuan a catty. The receipt shows that she bought 1.672 catties of gold cherries for a total price of 583.53 yuan.
In this regard, many netizens sighed: "Golden Cheerilee is so expensive" and "I really can't afford to buy it". According to upstream news, on the afternoon of the 19th, the staff of the brand chain fruit store said that the price was set by the company, and the price of the same fruit in different cities may also be different.
Each golden cherry is protected by a net cover Image source: Video screenshot
Regarding the fact that netizens felt that the price of golden cherries was more expensive, the reporter consulted the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of a district in Shanghai. A staff member said that cherries are commodities with market-regulated prices, and the price is set by the market operators themselves, which is also stipulated in the Price Law.
After inquiry, there are currently a variety of golden cherries to choose from on JD.com. Taking the "Tian X Ji Official Flagship Store" as an example, the price of one pound of "Zhongguo JJ-grade gold cherries (28-30mm)" is 199 yuan, the price of one pound of "Daguo JJJ-grade gold cherries (30-32mm)" is 233 yuan, and the price of one pound of "Rare King 5J (34mm)" is 279 yuan. The store's customer service said that the origin of this golden cherry is Chile, the variety is PAGODA, and the shipping place is Guangzhou or Shanghai.
In addition to golden cherries, regular cherries are also selling at a higher price this year. Also taking Jingdong as an example, a certain JJJ-grade cherry imported from Chile is priced at 162 yuan for 3 catties, which is 54 yuan a catty. The price of JJ-grade 3 catties is 158 yuan, which is about 53 yuan a catty. Taking the "Fresh Jingdong Self-operated Zone" as an example, the price of 10 catties of JJ-grade cherries is 299 yuan, but it shows that there is no stock, and the price of 10 catties of JJJ-grade fruits is 368 yuan.
Exports may decrease by 83 million boxes! The El Niño phenomenon has caused Chile's early-maturing cherries to reduce production by more than 50%.
According to a CCTV Finance report on December 7, recently, the Chilean Fruit Producers Federation released a report saying that the El Niño phenomenon has led to more than half of Chile's early-maturing cherry production this year. Experts say lack of sunlight and heavy rainfall are the main causes.
The head of the Chilean Fruit Producers Federation said that in the O'Higgins region, an important base for cherry cultivation, the harvest of early-maturing cherries has been completed, and the harvest has been reduced by more than 50%, with losses ranging from 60% to 80% in some areas. According to the report, the sharp decline in the early ripening cherry production is mainly due to the heavy rainfall in central Chile between June and August this year, and the heaviest rainfall in 15 years between late October and the end of November.
Iván Marambio, President of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association: Due to the impact of the El Niño phenomenon, Chile has not had enough sunlight this winter to provide basic conditions for fruit growth.
Experts have analyzed that since this spring, the temperature has been significantly lower than in the same period of the year, resulting in insufficient flowering of cherry trees, and the heavy rains in late October and November this year have led to a lack of sunshine, and the weight of a single cherry fruit in most plantations is much lower than in a normal year. The hardest-hit varieties are Royal Dawn and Santina, and the reduction in early cherry production will also lead to 83 million cases of Chilean cherry exports this season compared to the previous season.
The Chilean Association of Fruit Exporters is working closely with producers to assess the damage and implement urgent mitigation measures, such as speeding up the harvesting process and applying drying techniques to packaging and transporting them. The Chilean government has also set up a working group to support affected farmers.
According to Chao News, the relevant person in charge of the Chilean Fruit Importers and Exporters Association said: "Affected by the warm winter climate last year, the spring flowering of Chilean cherries has decreased, and the current output is only 50% of the same period in previous years." ”
It is understood that Chile is the world's largest producer and exporter of cherries.
At the 2023 Cherry Conference, a data report issued by the Chilean Association of Fruit Importers and Exporters showed that in the 2022-2023 season, the total export volume of Chilean cherries was 415,300 tons, of which 88% were exported to China, with an export volume of 364,200 tons.
Fruit wholesalers: up 30% to 40% overall this year!
According to Chao News, in late October every year, the cherry clipper full of Chilean cherries will arrive at the two major ports of Guangzhou Port and Shanghai Port after 23 days of sea route, and then enter the three major imported fruit trading markets of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Jiaxing for sale.
"Chilean cherries are sold in China with zero tariffs, and in order to reduce the pressure on Chinese dealers, a service called consignment is adopted. ”
The relevant person in charge of the fruit branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal Husbandry told reporters: "China's importers will sell Chilean cherries according to market conditions, and then extract a fixed commission of 6%, but the cherries that consumers eat are retail channels, because there are some fixed costs, usually 20% to 30% higher than the wholesale price." ”
In Hangzhou's secondary fruit wholesale market, Lao Lin, who has been engaged in the wholesale business of imported fruits for more than 10 years, said, "The market of cherries has risen by 30 to 40 percent this year, and the current price is still high, and the daily shipment is limited, only a dozen or twenty boxes." ”
"At this time in previous years, Chilean cherries already had sea shipments, and the price of 5 kilograms was more than 300 yuan. This year, the goods I got so far are still airborne, and the price of 5 kilograms is 500 yuan, and it is estimated that it will take a week to reduce the price. Lao Lin said.
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