“The Chinese persimmon season runs from August until December. Annually we produce 80,000 tons. We grow persimmon on 4,000 hectares (60,000 mu) in Fujian, Yunan province,” says Liu Jingle of JinTaiHua Agriculture Products. The company sells persimmons under its TaKxa brand.
“This year's season is stable. So far we have harvested 50,000 ton. Persimmons are currently sold for 10 Yuan per kilogram on the Chinese market, which is a good price. 60% of our products are sold to wholesale markets and 40% are sold directly to supermarkets. I do not see any problems ahead for the coming season”.
“We export persimmon to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. Yearly we export around 30,000 ton. On the Chinese market we sell 50,000 ton. The Chinese market is strong. Consumption of persimmon is growing rapidly in China. We witnessed a 30% year on year increase and prices are stable”.
“Taiwan and, since this summer, New Zealand, can export persimmon directly into China. Japanese and South Korean persimmon can also be found in supermarkets on the Mainland. These are imported via Hong Kong. I do not perceive these imports as a threat to our sales. Our fruit is of better quality than the fruit from South Korea, and cheaper than the imports from Japan. New Zealand persimmon will be more expensive than local production. The New Zealand season runs earlier, though, from May to July”.
