The Chinese import market is dominated by citrus. In Shanghai, apart from durian and dragon fruit from Southeast Asia, the main import product is citrus, including late-season oranges from Spain, the US and Egypt, early-season Australian oranges and grapefruit from South Africa.
"In the past few weeks, the grapefruit market in China has performed poorly. Supply is large, and demand has not picked up. As a result, profit margins are low," says a local trader in Shanghai.
"At this moment, almost every wholesale distributor has South African grapefruit. The price for 15kg of grapefruit has already dropped from 150 Yuan to 130-140 Yuan, around 18 Euro. Standard sizes are 35, 40 and 45."
"Grapefruit this season have not been very successful. Supply is huge and export from South Africa to China shows no room for opportunity. The US, Spain, Egypt, Australia and South Africa all export to China, so evidently the competition is fierce."
"There are a few reasons why the orange market is so dispirited. The supply period of most countries coincides, which means a huge boost in supply. In comparison, last year, supply from the Northern hemisphere was already finished by this time of the year, because of climate conditions."
"The traders have experienced that, when purchasing grapefruit earlier in the season, prices were high. As a result, now market prices have come down, profit margins are very thin and the prime cost is not even always covered."
