The price of fruit has gone up sharply this spring. According to the relevant data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs compiled by Zhuo Chuang Information, the wholesale price of fruits from January to April in 2022 was higher than the average price in the past nine years, and it showed a continuous upward trend.
From the place of origin to the dining table, fruits have to go through the stages of fruit farmers’ picking, packaging and purchasing, loading and transportation, wholesaler sales, etc., and finally reach the fruit shop at home. Qianjiang evening news Hour reporter interviewed producers, wholesalers, logistics drivers and store operators, trying to explore the deep-seated reasons behind these links.
Many people are concerned about when the price of fruit will come down. According to the prediction of fruit farmers and wholesalers in producing areas, with the coming of summer fruit ripening season, the wholesale price of fruit will soon fall, and the price of retail stores will naturally fall.
Due to climatic reasons, the reduction in production and the sharp drop in imported fruits cannot fill the gap.
Most of the fruits in this season are from Yunnan, Hainan and other places, because the reduction in production has led to an increase in wholesale prices.
According to Hong Lianggang, the wholesaler of Hangzhou Fruit Wholesale Market, the price of wogan rose from 4 yuan to 11 yuan, honeydew melon from 12 yuan to 20 yuan, mango from 4 yuan to 10 yuan, and the most outrageous thing was watermelon. A while ago, the price of watermelon rose from 6 yuan to 20 yuan.
Chen Ying (pseudonym), who is purchasing fruits in Hainan, explained the reason to qianjiang evening news Hour reporter: "The winter in Hainan this year is particularly long. Due to the influence of cold air, the output of lotus spray, Guifeimang and litchi here has decreased a lot."
Mid-May is the season when a large number of lychees are listed in Hainan. In previous years, the local wholesale price was only five or six yuan a kilogram, but this year, the wholesale price of lychees rose to 14 yuan a kilogram, and the price doubled 1.5 times.
Before the local fruits were ripe for the market, the output of foreign fruits was reduced. In the past, this situation also happened. The solution for wholesalers was to fill the gap with imported fruits.
But this year, the number of imported fruits has also dropped sharply.
At Hong Lianggang’s wholesale point, the sales of imported fruits accounted for 30% of the total sales in previous years, and now it has dropped sharply to 10%.
The origin of imported fruits this season is mainly Southeast Asia. Last year, 7.5 kilograms of mangosteen with a box of 200 pieces sold 450 pieces this year; Last year, 15 kilograms of durian with an average price of about 400 yuan per box sold directly to 800 yuan this year.
The epidemic affected the transportation time, and the freight cost generally increased by 10 times.
The reduction of production makes the price of fruit higher, and the increase of transportation cost adds a fire to the rising price.
According to Chen Ying’s estimation, in previous years, the freight for a car full of princess smiles was 9,000, but this year it has become 12,000. Affected by the local epidemic this year, the passage of trucks was not as smooth as in previous years, and the freight rate naturally rose.
Liu Ben (a pseudonym), a truck driver, took a load of bananas imported into Hangzhou fruit wholesale market. His batch of bananas was shipped from the port of Ningbo. Originally, this journey only took three or four hours, but now it takes three days.
Imported fruits need to go through customs inspection, disinfection and nucleic acid detection, and so on. Just here at the customs, it will take a day. When the goods arrived at the highway bayonet, Liu Ben had to hand over the driver’s license to the staff. "Because it is stipulated which highway intersection to get off from, you must return from which highway intersection."
When you get to the market, people and goods need a 24-hour nucleic acid report to enter the market. Liu Ben drove the car to Hangzhou Renhe Inspection Station and tested the bananas. Liu Ben himself went to the hospital to do nucleic acid, and when the report came out, another day passed.
Liu Ben calculated that it would take about 140 liters of oil to get from Ningbo to Hangzhou. This year, the oil price has risen, and he can only bear it himself. Together with the toll of 336, it costs 672 yuan to go back and forth. After deducting these costs, Liu Ben can only earn 500~600 yuan for one trip.
The epidemic situation makes it impossible for goods between markets to circulate and transfer at will. "Every batch of fruit we have now has a traceability code, which can only be sent straight from the place of origin and cannot be transferred. In the past, we would look at the price. For example, if the goods in Jiaxing market are cheaper, we will adjust from Jiaxing, and now it is not allowed. " Fei Ge (a pseudonym), the wholesaler owner of Hongshi Fruit Industry, said.
Feige is mainly engaged in the wholesale of fine fruits. Due to the difficulty of freight transportation in Shanghai, all the imported fruits were transferred to the docks in Guangzhou, which increased the transportation cost for the Hangzhou market.
The number of imported fruits has dropped sharply this year, mainly due to the international epidemic.
"I think many colleagues who are imported fruits are saying that the freight of imported fruits has generally increased by 10 times." Brother Fei said, "And in Southeast Asia and other countries where we mainly import fruits and fruits, almost all the automobile transportation routes are shut down, leaving only sea routes. The time for these fruits to stay on the cargo ship has increased, resulting in a decline in quality. "
Store rent, labor cost factor, local fruit listing price will be lowered.
The rise in wholesale prices makes the price tag of fruit shop stores change almost every day.
"Recently, many customers have complained to us that fruit has become more expensive." Xiao Wu, a clerk of Huaxia Fruit Industry, pointed out and smiled at the concubine in front of the store. This is litchi that just came in, and the price is 51.6 yuan a kilogram.
Most customers are still sensitive to price, so although the price of fruit has increased, the turnover has not increased, but has decreased.
Sun Liying, the boss of Huaxia Fruit Industry, told qianjiang evening news Hours that the turnover of his three stores was only about one-third of that of the same period last year, and the passenger flow was also much less.
Sun Liying has been a fruit store for 7 years, and now he has 3 stores in Hangzhou. The rent of the oldest No.1 shop has risen from 50,000 to 178,000 years, and the growth rate has increased by 5% year by year. The labor cost employed in the store accounts for 60% of the total expenditure. Sun Liying thinks that compared with these, the price of fruit has risen the slowest.
In 2020, Sun Liying’s store enjoyed the government rent reduction and exemption policy, exempting the rent for three months and halving the rent for three months, which made him through the most difficult period.
This year’s epidemic situation is complicated. Last month, two of his stores were shut down due to epidemic prevention and control, and some fruits were lost. "It’s good to live." Sun Liying said.
However, the epidemic has also increased the sales of storable fruits such as apples, pears and bananas, and the prices of these fruits are relatively stable.
Many people are concerned about when the price of fruit will come down.
Hong Lianggang said that when local fruit production comes up, the wholesale price of fruit will soon fall, and the price of retail stores will naturally be lowered.
Take watermelons as an example. In April, watermelons were scarce, and the wholesale price once rose to 18 yuan a kilogram. However, with the maturity of local sweet potatoes in May, the price of watermelons will drop to 4 yuan a kilogram.
"I don’t know, one price a day." A stall owner who sold watermelons for 7 years in Hangzhou Fruit Wholesale Market said.
