After the early-ripe Fujiki apples, Gala apples in Shanxi are being harvested from mid-July onward.
Different from the excellent harvest last year, this year's red Gala apples in Shanxi region are estimated at 40% under production. The main reasons being the cold weather earlier this year and recent hailstorms ruining many of the apples on the trees. Both reasons cause large underproduction. The good news is that the quality as a whole was maintained, so everyone is still satisfied with the quality of the Gala apples," says Mrs. Wei from the main production region near Ruicheng.
Following the reduced supply, the price of the apples goes up accordingly. Fruit farmers are hopeful and scared at the same time. "The bulk of the Gala apples are currently sold for 1.2 to 1.4 RMB per 500g, which is a high price. We are waiting for the later apple varieties. We hope that the price will be adjusted then."
Not long after the start of the season, the Shanxi apples are already being prepared for export. "We already started preparing the apples for selling and processing. Exporting companies are putting down orders so we prepare the export. But the price of Chinese early-season is rather high, and the foreign markets aren't doing that well. We estimate that when the apples go on sale in full, the Chinese apples will have more competitive advantages on the international market.
