China: White strawberries continue to increase
This season's strawberries are on the market earlier and their market performance is greatly affected by the cold wave.
The cold wave is an important factor affecting the price and quality of strawberries this year. This winter's cold waves are frequent and snowy, and the low temperature lasts for a long time, which reduces the commercial fruit rate, market volume, and the price rises accordingly. The taste has declined and affected the growth of the next crop.
The Dandong region in Liaoning Province is an important production area for domestic strawberries. In addition to domestic sales, Dandong strawberries are exported to Southeast Asia, Russia, Hong Kong and other places all year round until May. It is understood that the current export volume has increased by more than 30% compared with last year, and new markets such as Thailand and Indonesia have been opened up.
In the last years, variety diversification is becoming a trend. Dandong strawberries have always been mainly red traditional varieties, but as the market has paid increasing attention to new non-red varieties in recent years, the production area has begun with some new varieties on a large scale, such as pink, white, and black strawberries. As the stability of new varieties increases, their volume on the market will increase in the future.
Talking about the new varieties, the popularity of white strawberries in the Chinese market continues to increase annually, owing to their distinctive appearance and aroma.
However, this season's availability has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions, leading to a reduction in production. While the demand for high-end white strawberries among consumers is rising, the overall performance of the strawberry market this year falls short of expectations.
A shift in consumer preferences can be seen, consumers now seek not only the visual appeal of white strawberries but also superior taste and aroma. Consequently, many mainstream varieties are experiencing a decline in selling prices, some even dropping to half of last year's rates.
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As non-red strawberries gain traction, an increasing number of growers are venturing into white strawberry cultivation. However, many struggle with mastering cultivation techniques and defining their market niche, resulting in variable fruit quality and subpar pricing.