Prices of Japanese food imports are rising steadily in Hong Kong due to high demand from bulk-buying mainland Chinese consumers, according to a report from EJ Insight.
The website referenced a story by a local paper which claimed that mainlanders were packing their cross-border vans with goods, especially high-end produce, from Yau Ma Tai fruit market.
The most popular item among such consumers is apparently Japanese white grapes which, at only HK$250 per 500g, are twice as cheap as from mainland online shopping sites.
According to EJ Insight, this spells trouble for local high-end supermarket shoppers who can expect to see a surge in fruit prices in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, during which healthier choices like starfruit, strawberries and grapes are growing in popularity.
Last year, Hong Kong accounted for over 24 per cent of Japan's food exports, receiving a total of US$1.48bn,according to the Trade Development Council.
