【Epoch Times, May 10, 2024】
Nowadays, in the mainland Chinese market, the price of lychee has soared to 70 yuan per kilogram. Industry insiders have pointed out that this year, there is a shortage of supply due to extreme weather conditions in regions such as Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan, affecting the flowering rate of lychee and leading to a decrease in production. It is estimated that the output will reach a new low in 10 years. People who love eating lychee lament that “this year, lychee freedom is gone.”
On May 10, the topic of “One Kilogram of Lychee Costing 70 yuan – Lychee Freedom Gone” trended on social media platforms in mainland China. The expensive price of lychee has left netizens feeling the pinch.
According to a report by “City Journal,” a post-90s girl named Wenwen has a special fondness for lychee. She remembers buying Feizi Xiao (a variety of lychee) online for just over 5 yuan per kilogram last June. However, this May, she was shocked to see the prices at the supermarket, where Feizi Xiao was priced at 26.8 yuan per kilogram. Grade A Feizi Xiao at fruit shop was priced at 42.9 yuan per kilogram.
The report mentioned that online platforms are also selling lychee at high prices. Feizi Xiao from Baiguoyuan costs 38.9 yuan per kilogram, while the fresh Feizi Xiao from Meituan’s grocery delivery service is priced at 68.8 yuan per kilogram, discounted to 46.8 yuan. Two other lychee varieties, Mudan Hong and Guihua Xiang, are sold at 42 yuan and 72 yuan per kilogram, respectively.
Li Li, who usually buys a box of lychee online every May, said that this year, lychee freedom is no more. Last year, she purchased five kilograms of Feizi Xiao lychee online for only 56.8 yuan. This year, the price of lychee per kilogram has risen from 50 yuan to 70 yuan, and the delivery time is uncertain.
Wenwen exclaimed, “I never imagined that in 2024, lychee would become a luxury exclusive for the elites.”
Even in major lychee-producing provinces, the price of lychee is not optimistic. In Guangxi’s market, lychee mainly comes from Hainan Feizi Xiao, priced between 40 yuan and 56 yuan per kilogram. Meanwhile, the air-freighted Guihua Xiang lychee from Hainan costs between 70-120 yuan per kilogram.
Baiguoyuan stated that this year, the retail price of lychee has increased by about 10% compared to last year. A store owner from Xinfadi mentioned that currently, lychee is being air-freighted, leading to high costs. Additionally, for transportation by road, refrigerated containers with ice need to be used along the way, resulting in high actual costs as well.
China’s main lychee-producing areas include Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, among which, Maoming City, Guangdong Province, accounts for approximately a quarter of the country’s lychee output.
A lychee grower in Dahua, Guangzhou, named Aman, mentioned that the high price of lychee this year is mainly due to low production, which is influenced by abnormal weather conditions. She explained, “When it should be cold, it’s not, and when it should be hot, it’s not. The trees were deceived into flowering during the heat, and then there was a sudden cooling, affecting flowering repeatedly.”
Aman attended a lychee exhibition in early May and learned that in 2024, the flowering and fruiting of lychee were not ideal due to more rainy and overcast days during the flowering period, making it the year with the lowest flowering rate in recent years. The exhibition predicted a reduction in Feizi Xiao yield by around 30% compared to last year and a decrease of approximately 80% for Ziniangxi lychee.
Aman’s main cultivation is in Guiwei lychee, which is severely affected by the production reduction. She expects a reduction of at least 80% in Guiwei lychee in the Dahua area. She expressed concern that due to the daily heavy rainfall in Guangzhou now, by the end of June, it is uncertain how many fruits will mature, and by then, the price will definitely increase significantly.
Official data from Guangdong indicates that since the onset of the rainy season (April 4 to May 4), the average rainfall in the province has reached 572.8 millimeters, three times the average for the same period in recent years (194.8 millimeters). Several areas in Guangdong and Guangxi have experienced recent floods, resulting in casualties.
Industry insiders told “City Journal” that this year, on top of the late spring cold during the Chinese New Year period, the output has significantly decreased in all lychee varieties in various production areas. They judged that the output should reach a 10-year low.
The merchants growing premium lychee are hoping to survive this year. A lychee merchant from the western Guangdong area expressed his hope that “there will not be heavy rain before the lychee season begins.” Fortunately, his orchard has narrowly escaped the recent rainy period due to its geographical location. He clasped his hands and said, “I hope everything goes smoothly from now on.”
🌸【Extended Reading: Wholesale Price of Lychee in Mainland China Slashed to a Five-Year Low】🌸