"The apple market is weaker than last year and the harvesting season will start in approximately 10 days and will last 45 days to 50 days. At the start of the production season, the price for a kg of apples was 1 RMB lower than last year. In later periods, as fewer apples are in stock at the end of the year and at the start of next year, the market price will hopefully climb up a bit and stabilise there," says Mr. Li Guqing of Yantai Zhaoyuan Apple Cultivation and Sales.
Production slightly decreased
"When it comes to production volumes, we had the benefit of stable weather conditions. Compared to last year, we produced about 2% less apples. In the growing process, our technical team took several measures to protect the quality of the fruits. We used tin foil and plastic bags to scare away birds that would otherwise pick at the fruits, and we used advanced technology for the harvest."
"Our cultivation base is located in Zhaoyuan county, in Yantai. We have a surface of about 7 hectares, with a yearly production of 800 tons. Apart from a quality cultivation base, we also possess a modernised cool storage with a yearly capacity of 5000 tons. Currently, our apples are sold in the wholesale markets of Chinese first-tier and second-tier cities. In the future, we hope that we can export to foreign markets, such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East."
Third party testing and appraisal
"Shandong is a large farming province. Together with many farmers, we receive a lot of support in our farming endeavours from the government. We get technical guidance and indirect farming subsidies. Moreover, we have an inspection company installed in places like Beijing and Shanghai. Here we conduct third party testing and appraisal of fruits and vegetables traded from all over the world. Thanks to this, we have a very good and professional understanding of the quality requirements for global import and export. That also helps to guarantee the sales of our apples in China."
