According to the feedback of an investigation by YMT (yimutian), watermelons are hard to sell this year. The sales are not only restricted by the local labour and transport conditions, but they are also influenced by the northern and southern watermelon market. The common price on the southern wholesale market is currently above 1 RMB. But the northern market is bad, with prices of 0.7 to 0.8 RMB for 500g. Viewed from last years trend, there was a clear slide downward as the watermelon sales season began. But this year deviates from the normal situation. The north-south price difference is far from normal.
The weather in the south is bad. Large surfaces in the watermelon cultivation deal with underproduction or cancelled harvest. This is reflected in the purchasing behaviour of large costumers. It is very difficult to find good watermelons in the south this year. The average price for watermelons is higher in the south than in the north production zones. Local prices exceed 1.5 RMB for 500g, whereas prices in the north regions only amount to 0.4 RMB. So many costumers purchase in the north.
Concerning the prospects of the watermelons, many people believe the price will drop as the sales quantities increase. But experts counter that this year's watermelon price may remain high. This is because the weather will remain hot with room for even higher temperatures. The watermelons on the southern market are mainly from Hebei and Dongbei. Northern watermelons go on sale rather early. When the watermelons from Ningxia go on sale in large quantities, an upward trend of the price is definitely possible.
