Everybody knows that there are multiple factors which influence the development of fruit. The first is the weather. Extreme weather conditions can reduce the overall production volume of a type of fruit, especially when snow covers the fruit plantation. However, does this mean that fruit with a reduced production volume automatically becomes more expensive?
"The cherry production areas in Yantai, and the apple production areas throughout China, all suffered from various degrees of snow and frost during the season when fruit trees blossom. The Yantai cherry production volume decreased by around 70% and the average apple production volume decreased by 40%-60%. However, while both fruits suffered from reduced production, the retail conditions were quite different." This is according to Yingtao Ge [Cherry Brother], a fruit plantation owner and fruit trader in Yantai.
"The reduced production volume changed the apple market. People fought over limited supply and the price soared. Premium apples of some varieties swiftly ran into supply shortage. The Golden Fuji apple is one example. The storage volume of Golden Fuji apples in Yantai is extremely limited. The price of refrigerated Fuji apples from cold storage in Yantai is more than 5 yuan [0.74 USD] per 0.5 kg, which is an increase of more than 25% in comparison with the 4 yuan [0.59 USD] per 0.5 kg around this time last year."
"The retail conditions of Yantai cherries were less fortunate. Early-season cherries sold for 150 yuan [22.14 USD] per 0.5 kg when they entered the market, but before long the price dropped to 45 yuan [6.64 USD] per 0.5 kg. This was mainly because imported cherries flooded the market. Yantai cherries lost much of their market share, and the overall retail conditions were far from ideal."
