Recently released data from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products indicate that in 2019 China imported approximately 6.83 million tons of fruit with a total value of $9.5 billion, representing year-on-year (YOY) increases of 24% and 25%, respectively. Meanwhile, China’s fruit exports in 2019 totaled a volume of 3.61 million tons and a value of $5.5 billion, corresponding to YOY increases of 4% and 14%, respectively.
Exports
The top ten overseas markets for China by export value were Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Russia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Kazakhstan.
China's top-performing export fruit categories in 2019 largely followed the country’s traditional fruit cultivation strengths and included fresh apples ($1.25 billion, −4% YOY), fresh grapes ($990 million, +43% YOY), citrus (including mandarin oranges and satsuma oranges, $840 million, −3% YOY), fresh pears ($570 million, +8% YOY), fresh peaches and nectarines ($200 million, +119% YOY), other fruits ($210 million, +104% YOY), grapefruit ($190 million, −3% YOY), and lemons and limes ($160 million, +61% YOY). These eight categories accounted for approximately 80% of China’s fruit exports by value.
Apples
Owing to a sharp drop in production during the 2018/19 season, China’s domestically grown apples were in short supply in the spring of 2019, thereby driving up the price. By July of 2019, the wholesale and retail prices of apples had soared to their highest levels in almost a decade. However, as apples from the 2019/20 season started to hit the market in September, prices began to drop and ultimately reached normal levels in November.
As Chinese apples are predominantly exported to South Asian and Southeast Asian markets, where consumers are generally more sensitive toward price changes, these price fluctuations exerted a knock-on effect on exports. In 2019, China exported 971,000 tons of apples (−13% YOY). The main export destinations were Vietnam (113,000 tons, +28% YOY), Indonesia (119,000 tons, −10% YOY), Bangladesh (176,000 tons, +19% YOY), Thailand (97,000 tons, −6% YOY) and the Philippines (97,000 tons, −19% YOY). These five countries accounted for 62% of China’s apple exports.
Pears
In 2019, China exported 470,000 tons of pears (−4% YOY). The main export destinations were Vietnam (100,000 tons, +51% YOY), Indonesia (156,000 tons, −9% YOY), Thailand (47,000 tons, −3% YOY), Malaysia (30,000 tons, −12% YOY) and Hong Kong (30,000 tons, +1% YOY). These five markets accounted for 77% of China’s total pear exports.
Citrus (including mandarin oranges and satsuma oranges)
In 2019, China exported 640,000 tons of citrus (−1% YOY). The main export destinations were Vietnam (137,000 tons, −5% YOY), Malaysia (85,000 tons, +19% YOY), Indonesia (59,000 tons, +707% YOY), Russia (74,000 tons, −17% YOY), the Philippines (43,000 tons, +3% YOY), Thailand (35,000 tons, −56% YOY), Kazakhstan (52,000 tons, −2% YOY) and Myanmar (44,000 tons, −13% YOY). These eight countries accounted for 83% of China’s total citrus exports.
