China's apple production is set to rise by ten per cent this season, according to a crop estimate from local apple grower-packer company Alfa.
This rise is forecast in spite of a spring frost which has impacted on the apple-producing regions of Shaanxi and Gansu, where production is thought to be well down.
However, increased production in provinces including Henan and Hebei will more than compensate for these losses, due to increased plantings there.
While increased yields is a positive factor for China's apple industry, Alfa's managing director Steve Leung concedes that the quality is not as high as the previous season after poor weather.
'From our random sampling in the orchards, we found that the quality is not as good as last season,' he said. 'There are more rusts, mould, rots, and insect bites due to continued rain during the month of July.'
Fruit sizes are also somewhat smaller, with Fujis set to peak around 100 or 113.
Despite increased yields and sub-optimal quality, apple prices are what Leung dubs 'absurdly high' at present. 'This is due to the shortage of apples in the domestic market this time of the year and the anticipated market for the mid-Autumn Festival on 20 September,' he explained. 'However, early variety prices do not have any bearing on what the Fuji prices will be, because the quantity of these early varieties is so small.'
Leung believes prices should be down, as apple sellers in the country have been losing money and will therefore be low on confidence, which affects pricing. 'But who knows, it is impossible to predict. Prices have always surprised us.'
The company's Fuji apples are set to be harvested around 10 October, slightly later than last season due to late blooming.
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