Wholesale Market Report, Week 40: Avocado, Oranges and Blueberries

Country of origin does seem to matter.

Before the National Day holidays, traffic at the wholesale market was not very busy but overall sales performance was quite

Avocados in the market at present are mainly those of Chile, Mexico and Peru. Peru is approaching end of season, production and sales volumes are both quite modest. Peruvian avocados generally have rough skins and less fat contents. The chance of getting ones that would not get ripen easily is quite high and hence sales have always been not very good. However, Peruvian avocados have greener color and can be more easily stored. Mexican avocados have better quality than Peruvian ones. With higher fat content, Mexican avocados ripen faster and keeping time is shorter. Chilean avocados are just coming into season and large shipments are coming in. Early season ones’ colors are quite green but there are issues with not easy to get ripen. Overall, Mexican avocados sell best, followed by Chilean ones. But due to limited supply of Mexican ones, Chilean avocados have the biggest turnover at present. Good avocados are sold at around RMB170 per box while those of lesser quality at around RMB150.

The oranges in the market now are mainly Australian Navel and South African oranges. Since market demand for oranges always stays high, supply and demand are practically in equilibrium, without much left in inventory. Australian Navel oranges taste good as always and the ones with good looks and hardness command a price of RMB290 per box and their sales have been quite good. South African oranges have significant cost advantage against the Australian oranges while their tastes are milder. They are basically selling for around RMB170 per box.

Recently, large shipments Chilean blueberries have arrived, driving down prices a little. The good quality ones sell for RMB280 per box. The market still has plenty of locally produced blueberries but has been sluggish in sales due to poor quality. Better quality Chilean blueberries are still in demand and thus sales outlook of Chilean blueberries should be rather positive.

Zhanhui Market’s Prices as of September 30, 2016

Avocado: RMB170-180 / box (6kg) (good quality)

Avocado: RMB100 / box (6kg) (poor quality)

Australian orange: RMB290/box (19kg)

South African orange: RMB170/box (15kg)

Chilean blueberries: RMB280/box (1.5kg)