The production season of mangosteens is from May until September. They reach their peak period in August. The mangosteens that are being sold are mostly all imported, and are grown in areas in South-East Asia, such as Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar.
Because there has been relatively much rain this year, the production quantity from these areas is bigger. The mangosteens are mainly coming from Thailand, where the production area has not changed. However, because they have had dry weather there, the production quantity declined. This year, most production areas have been having a bumper harvest, so the supply is bigger than last year. However, the supply and demand are not balanced, so the price has dropped dramatically.
Over a month ago, the highest price for mangosteens was approximately 23 to 25 yuan per 500 gram. Many people can only buy this fruit when it is in season. In the past few days, however, the price for mangosteens of the same quality has dropped to around 5 yuan per 500 gram. This is a drop of 70% compared to a price of 17 or 18 yuan per 500 gram in the same period last year.
