Although the coronavirus pandemic, already in its third year, continues to pose enormous challenges to the Chinese market, according to official data, the volumes of imported fruit in the Chinese market have not stopped increasing in the last three years, also changing the structure of imports. Recently, Shanghai Fruit Expo published a summary of Chinese fruit imports.

Spokesman Kurt Huang, who shared his impressions with FreshPlaza, believes that as anti-COVID measures are relaxed, the movement of people increases and the hospitality, trade fair and tourism sectors resume activities, the demand for imported fruit will increase significantly. "The current 7 million tons of imported fruit is insignificant compared to the total consumption of 300 million tons."

Click here to download China import summary.

Fruit imports have increased significantly in the last three years

While many importers claim that their imports have fallen sharply during the three years of the pandemic and sales have been slow, the data shows that the volumes of imported fruit are increasing and the structure has changed. “First of all, the effect of the pandemic in the different countries of origin is not the same. Imports of “Western fruits” such as citrus and grapes have declined, but the amount of exotic fruits from Southeast Asia has steadily increased. This difference is reflected in the volumes shipped in the two large wholesale markets in eastern China. Shanghai's Huizhan Market mainly markets fruits from the West, which has been severely affected by the pandemic, while Jiaxing's Haiguangxing Market, which mainly imports tropical fruits from Southeast Asia, continues to grow at a considerable rate."

“Secondly, the growth of the value of imports exceeds that of imported volumes, which indicates the structural change in the importation of fresh products. China is importing more high-quality fruits, such as cherries, durians, and blueberries. In addition, Chinese customs have taken action against overly low price declarations in recent years, so the declared value has increased. The increase in international shipping is another reason for the significant increase in imports,” Kurt explained.

“Chilean cherries are an excellent example of this. And it is that the sales of Chilean cherries in the three previous seasons were affected by the pandemic. In the 2019-2020 cherry season, with the closure of Wuhan as the dividing line, the sale price of cherries dropped sharply during the Spring Festival. In the 2020-2021 season, in the middle of the pandemic, the price was “ruined”. Also in the 2021-2022 season, due to the excessive concentration of cherry vessels unloading in Hong Kong and the lack of customs clearance capacity in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen canal, the efficiency decreased, the quality of cherries decreased and prices suffered,” Kurt said. “In the 2022-2023 season, most Chinese people recovered from the coronavirus before the Spring Festival, and the consumption of cherries, a very popular fruit in this festive period, also recovered. For this reason, sales of Chilean cherries have gone very well this year and the wholesale price is more stable. Thanks to the end of anti-COVID measures in China, customs clearance and logistics for imported fruit have resumed. In addition, the destination ports for cherries have diversified. Most of the vessels are unloaded directly at mainland Chinese ports, which reduces logistics costs and facilitates customs clearance.”

“It is clear that the Chilean cherry trade currently depends a lot on the Chinese market. Although Chile is working hard to diversify its export markets, other emerging markets are still unable to change the position of the Chinese market. Regardless of how the Chinese market performs, most Chilean cherries currently go to the Chinese market,” Kurt noted.

There is a big gap between supply and demand for quality fruit 

Kurt believes that in the Chinese market, counter-season fruits from the southern hemisphere and exotic fruits from Southeast Asia are in an advantageous position. Producing countries in the northern hemisphere, whose season is the same as China's, will have an increasingly difficult time in the Chinese market, as they will face pressure from the quality, quantity and varieties of the national fruit. Furthermore, Chinese consumers are becoming more mature and demanding.

“In order to close the gap between the supply and demand of high-quality fruits, a large amount of capital and people have entered the market for domestically grown fruits, especially distribution companies. A large number of new varieties are being planted in pilot projects, some of which have already achieved commercial success. The new varieties will continue to improve the quality of the domestic fruit in China."

Shanghai Fruit Expo helps exporters

In November 2021, the first Shanghai International Fruit Expo was successfully held, showcasing high-quality fruits from all corners of the world in mainland China. “In 2023, the second edition of the fair will take place. In addition to the luxury cast of the first edition, many new companies have been added, especially the boutique fruit-growing companies that have sprung up all over China. Since the fair focuses on national importers and distributors of high-quality fruits, the program is largely responsive to their needs. In addition, several participants from other producing countries affirmed that the relaxation of the anti-COVID measures will contribute to the resumption of international exchanges and business trips, increasing market optimism. Many foreign companies show a great willingness to participate and visit the fair”.

“Coincidentally, this year's Hong Kong Expo schedule ties in perfectly with Shanghai Expo, taking place after the show in Shanghai. I think this is a very good thing for the whole fruit industry,” Kurt said. “The Hong Kong show has an Asia-Pacific focus, while the Shanghai Expo has a strong position in mainland China. The two fairs complement each other, coming together to form a complete "Fruit Week", which facilitates communication and interaction between the different parts of the industry. And it is that many foreign exporters who visit or participate in the Hong Kong exhibition will visit the mainland China market before and after the fair. The Shanghai expo will bring together Chinese merchants, making these visits more efficient and comprehensive."

“For three years, international travel has been virtually paralyzed. However, as China battled the pandemic, the national economy had never stopped. Our foreign friends in the fruit industry must be very interested in visiting mainland China after four years,” Kurt said. “For those who do not have time to visit both fairs, I suggest that those entrepreneurs who are interested in developing their business in the mainland China market come to the Shanghai Expo. No doubt about that".