In recent years, shoppers have become more cautious when walking into supermarkets, especially when it comes to choosing fruits. A bunch of bright red grapes, with a light cut, is worth between 20 and 30 yuan. And a small handful of cherries reached 30 yuan. Apples and pears, which were once commonplace and approachable, are now rising to nearly 10 yuan per catty. Surprisingly, watermelon, which was once cheap, has now risen to 5 yuan per catty.
In this era when fruit is becoming more and more expensive, even the once dreamed of cherry freedom has become out of reach, and ordinary fruit has gradually become a luxury.
Nutritionists often recommend that people should consume at least half a pound of fruit every day, but in the face of expensive fruits, many people can't help but sigh, and some fruits even exceed meat. In this case, many people choose to take vitamin tablets to supplement their nutrition.
What is the reason why fruit ** is soaring?
From January 2019 to February 2023, the wholesale average of the five fruits monitored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has increased from 3 per catty04 yuan** to 377 yuan, an increase of 2401%, reaching the highest level in the past five years.
Taking February this year as an example, the public's favorite Fuji apples were also 0 per pound compared with last month$12.
The ** of other fruits is also rising. Take Yali pear as an example, its rise is significant. Now the cost of buying one pound of Yali pears can buy two pounds in 2020. This shows that the fruit** is indeed growing year on year.
After the Chinese New Year, people expect a decline in fruits, but the reality is that so-called "common fruits" such as apples, pears and bananas continue to rise. As a result, fruit, once considered affordable, is now an "aristocratic" consumer product, and ordinary people have become real "commoners".
What's even heavier is that compared with fruits, people's income growth does not seem to be keeping up. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the per capita disposable income of Chinese residents increased by 5% in 2022, and the real growth rate was 29%, but the fresh fruit ** in the same period ** was **12.9%。
It is important to note that these statistics only reflect the average wholesale price and do not refer to the quality or new varieties of fruit**.
In the fruit market, although some fruits have an attractive appearance, they are prohibitive. Such as sugar oranges, watermelons, etc., consumers often only dare to buy carefully. And special strawberry varieties like "White Lovers" are as high as 35 to 55 yuan per catty, which is 2 to 3 times that of ordinary strawberries.
In recent years, more and more new varieties of fruits have appeared on the market, such as Dandong Jiujiu strawberry, Ehime No. 38 jelly orange, Yangshan peach, etc., which are the most expensive new varieties of fruits.
Taking apples as an example, China is the world's largest apple grower, with a production of 4,597 in 2021340,000 tons, of which about 70% are shelf-stable Fuji apples. Other mainstream varieties, such as Qinguan apple and Marshal apple, account for 7% and 9% of total production. Due to the large amount of planting, most of the wholesale ** of these common varieties are within 5 yuan per catty.
Apples, as a member of the fruit market, also change with fashion trends. For example, the yellow-green appearance of Ruixue apples, the golden yellow color of Cream Fuji, and the Venus apple, known as the "apple goddess", have a wholesale price of up to 725 yuan, 5$93 and 59 yuan per catty, significantly higher than the traditional apple varieties.
In the grape sector, the differences between new and conventional varieties are even more significant. For example, ten yuan can buy three catties of Kyoho grapes, but it is not enough to buy one catty of romantic red grapes.
If you put high-end labels such as "imported", "specific origin" or "boutique" in front of the names of these uncommon fruits, their ** will soar further.
So why have fruits become so "noble" today?
The reasons for fruit *** are not limited to the introduction of new varieties.
In the fruit market, there are also grades of fruits, which are reflected in the quality and quality. For example, Fuji apples with a diameter of more than 85 mm are 1 yuan per catty compared to apples with a diameter of 70 to 84 mm, taking Fuji apples at the Xinfadi Agricultural Products Wholesale Market in Beijing on February 10, 2022.
Just as no two leaves are exactly the same, it is difficult to guarantee that each fruit on the same tree is exactly the same size, shape, and color. However, the fruit gift boxes we see in fruit stores can achieve a uniform appearance, which is the result of careful selection.
For example, Baiguoyuan, which was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in January 2023, has developed its own fruit grading standards.
Baiguoyuan divides fruits into four grades of "signboard, grade A, grade B and grade C" according to the six aspects of "sugar acidity, freshness, crispness, tenderness, fragrance and safety", so as to select high-quality fruits. In addition, for extremely rare fruits, Hundred Fruit Farm has also set up a special "rare" level.
Take crystal Fuji apples as an example, if they reach A-grade quality, their price can be as high as 165 yuan per catty. This means that a crystal Fuji apple weighing about 330 grams may cost 10 yuan.
As consumers' economic conditions improve, so do the requirements for the quality and appearance of fruits. People are increasingly willing to pay more for high-grade, good-tasting fruits.
In the past, consumers might go to a fruit stall to pick up fruit and buy a bunch of red grapes for 10 yuan, some of which may not look good or taste sour. Now, through grading, the fruit ** will screen out the bad and rotten fruits in advance, test the sugar content, and try to ensure that every fruit that consumers can eat is sweet.
This trend of consumer upgrading can be seen in the willingness to pay for a peach of up to 128 yuan. In short, in the past, people were content to be able to eat fruit, but now they are looking for high-quality fruit, and this naturally comes with higher costs.
For fruit merchants, grading also means upgrading. "Fine fruits"It can bring higher profits. The stricter the grading, the higher the benefits;Poor grading can lead to significant losses.
Pagoda's business model is mainly through offline stores, and in 2022, the company's "signature" fruits brought in revenue of up to 15. per catty1 yuan, which is almost twice the income of A-grade fruits, and the gross profit margin is also higher. In contrast, the C-grade fruit is not only not profitable, its gross profit margin is even negative, reaching -77%。
The situation is similar for other fruit shops and growers. Compared with ordinary fruits of a few yuan per catty, they are more inclined to grow and sell high-end, high-quality fruits.
The entire industry is moving in the direction of grading. In March 2022, the state began to implement the "Guidelines for Fruit Quality Grading", which divides fruits into three grades: special grade, first grade and second grade.
Taking Laiyang's Qiuyue pears as an example, in the past, no matter what the quality was, ** was the same. Now, by picking out bigger, sweeter pears, the price can reach 20 yuan each.
For consumers, in the past, they could hand-pick cost-effective fruits, but now they need to pay more if they want to buy better, larger fruits. Sometimes, even the fruit purchased by the flower may be of poor quality, resulting in a waste of money.
So, when will fruit freedom be realized?
Fruits with a more attractive appearance and better taste have long been labeled**. Even for ordinary fruits, the process from planting to delivering to consumers' mouths is not simple.
Large-scale cultivation and efficient grading measures have made fruit no longer sold in bulk, but has gone through multiple stages of circulation, including acquisition, wholesale and sales.
In Zhangzhou, for example, the cost of growing a kilogram of bananas is about 126 yuan. But after arriving at the farmer's market, its cost has risen to $2, taking into account rent, labor, transportation, and other costs63 yuan.
If the quality of this kilogram of bananas passes, it may also be sent to a more upscale supermarket or fruit store, at which time its ** will be increased by another 075 yuan.
High-end fruits are often grown and transported with great care, such as Chilean cherries, which are extremely sensitive to temperature, humidity and collisions. In order to maintain their freshness, Chilean cherries need to be transported by plane from the other side of the Pacific Ocean, which has led to their ** once reaching as high as 90 yuan per catty.
Another example is the fruit luxury that was very hot last year – the Sunshine Rose grape. Many people may not know that only Sunshine Roses that are produced in Okayama Prefecture, Japan and meet certain standards can earn the title of "Sunny King". Only one bunch of fruit grows during the growth of this grape, which requires careful manual management, which naturally increases the cost.
It was this "Haruo" variety from Japan that was initially popular in the Chinese market. Some people mentioned that this kind of Sunshine Rose grape, which was once only affordable for the wealthy, as high as 300 yuan per bunch, can now be tasted for about 30 yuan.
According to data from the Institute of Pomology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2016, China's Sunshine Rose grape planting area was only tens of thousands of acres. By 2020, this number had increased to 800,000 mu.
From 2020 to 2023, the highest wholesale price of Sunshine Rose grapes fell from 60 yuan per catty to 25 yuan, and it is no longer the unattainable grape "Hermes".
Since the third quarter of 2020, the average wholesale price of Sunshine Rose has rarely exceeded 30 yuan per catty. This decline is partly due to the increase in the market due to the expansion of planting by local growers in China.
New varieties of "Internet celebrity" fruits, such as Sunshine Rose grapes, usually go through the process of "imported varieties and then local planting". After two or three years of large-scale cultivation in the country, the ** of these fruits tends to drop significantly due to increased production.
As production increases, fruits** naturally become more accessible. However, fruit lovers should not celebrate too soon. For example, the large-scale cultivation of the Sunshine Rose grape in China is actually due to the accidental outflow of seedlings.
Wang Lirong, a researcher at the Institute of Pomology of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and head of the National Horticultural Germplasm Resource Bank, once pointed out that imported varieties account for 40% of China's fruit tree cultivation area, and in apples, grapes and other tree species, the proportion even reaches 50% to 90%.
At present, many countries have begun to strengthen the protection of fruit varieties. For example, Japan implemented the New Seedling Law last year to strengthen the protection of seedlings.
For consumers who struggle to afford expensive new varieties of fruit**, they may choose to return to the classics. But if even these traditional fruits continue, then the average consumer may have to rely on lower vitamin tablets for nutrition.
Sunshine Rose Grape