Wet and chilly weather in Taiwan has contributed to a slow build up for pre-Chinese New Year sales, but leading importers expect demand to pick up this week.
“The market should be better this week, which is a little later than we predicted,” said Eason Ji of major importer Coverings International. “Consumer spending has been quite weak because of the cold and wet weather, but the gifting of fruit is just beginning.”
Like their counterparts in China, however, Taiwanese importers are finding it difficult to source suitable supplies for the Lunar New Year, which falls on 3 February.
Sales of Japanese apples, a key item for gifting during the festivities, have been affected by a high landed price and the high-flying Japanese yen, Mr Ji noted. “Only large sized Fuji apples `from Japan` are moving smoothly,” he said. “Other varieties like the white or green Kinsei and Orin apples are just being used for colour combinations in boxes of red Fuji.”
Demand for high-colour Washington Fuji apples is relatively strong, he added, but uptake of lower grade, low-colour product is very limited.
On Taiwan’ cherry deal, New Zealand, a leading source of premium product, has been suffering a difficult season, which has left Chile to pick up the slack, Mr Chi noted.
“New Zealand’s cherry quality is not very good this year, and the bad weather has made this item very difficult to sell,” he said. “Good quality Chilean cherries are moving quite smoothly now, and they’re cheap, crunchy and eating well. Although the sizes are smaller than New Zealand cherries, these cherries have sold well in the wholesale market and chain stores.”
