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Published: May 15, 2026 | Source: kaiyun
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture decided to organize an apple e-commerce sales month activity nationwide, with sales from April 3rd to May 3rd.
It is reported that Alibaba Group, JD.com Group, Suning Cloud Commerce Group and other e-commerce companies participated in the "Apple Sales Month Action". Data released by the Ministry of Agriculture shows that within 3 days of the launch of the apple e-commerce sales month action, Suning has sold 3.075 million kilograms of apples, JD.com has sold 110,000 kilograms, and other e-commerce platforms are also connecting with production areas and fruit farmers.
As a traditional fruit with high nutritional value, suitable for all ages, why did apples encounter "inventory difficulties" in 2015-2016? How effective is selling apples through the internet and e-commerce platforms? Recently, a reporter from "China Science Daily" interviewed relevant issues.
Why are apples unsalable?
Apple farmer Wang Shuguang in Dangshan County, Anhui Province has finally breathed a sigh of relief these past few days. He planted more than ten mu of apples. The apples were harvested in mid-September last year, but only half of them have been sold until recently. "The unsalable situation has eased a bit in the past few days. Ground apples are basically finished, and there are still cold storage apples left to sell," he told a reporter from "China Science Daily".
In Wang Shuguang's impression, this year's apple price is the "cheapest in recent years", while a year ago, during the 2014-2015 sales season, apple prices climbed to their highest point. "Last year, apples were sold for 2.6 yuan/jin, and this year they are sold for 7-8 mao."
Why are local apples unsalable? Professor Huo Xuexi from the School of Economics and Management at Northwest A&F University stated in an interview with "China Science Daily" that this is a common problem not only in apples but also in the production of high-value agricultural products in China.
"In a production situation dominated by labor input, high-value-added agricultural products are very beneficial for increasing farmers' income. Driven by high industrial comparative benefits, farmers' enthusiasm is relatively high, which is the fundamental driving force," said Huo Xuexi.
Precisely because fruits like apples have obvious benefits for increasing farmers' income, various regions have vigorously promoted their cultivation. Currently, the planting areas for apples are no longer limited to advantageous production areas. "There is a certain degree of blind planting. The expansion has led to a significant breakthrough in the boundaries of previously established apple advantage production areas. Some apples are planted in non-suitable or sub-suitable areas, which is also a very important reason," said Huo Xuexi. In addition, the cost of apple production has also continued to rise in the past decade, especially since 2007.
From the demand side, the income elasticity of apple demand is relatively large. In other words, apples are not like grains, which are necessities; they can be eaten or not. "In the context of China's economic development entering a new normal and people's income growth slowing down relatively, domestic demand for apple consumption is insufficient," said Huo Xuexi. "At the same time, affected by cost increases, apple exports from production areas are also affected."
According to a previous report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China's apple production in 2015-2016 was predicted to be 43 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 5%. At the same time, it is predicted that China's imported fruits this year will increase by 50% year-on-year, reaching 100,000 tons.
In addition, fruit farmers "hoarding" is also one of the reasons for the current unsalable situation in some areas. Wang Shuguang revealed to reporters that due to the high selling price of apples last year, many local fruit farmers hoped to sell apples at the same high price when they harvested this year. Therefore, there was a mentality of "reluctance to sell," leading to a significant decrease in the number of purchasing merchants and sales volume.
Why are apples still not cheap?
While Wang Shuguang's apples are selling at a historic low price, the apple prices in the market seem to be unaffected.
Reporters visited several supermarkets in Beijing and found that apples priced at 4-5 yuan/jin are the average price, while apples with better appearance still maintain high prices. Many netizens also said that although there are many apples at the production site with low prices, the apples they eat "still cost a few yuan each."
According to the national apple market price information provided by the China Fruit Circulation Association, on April 1, 2016, the national wholesale average price of Red Fuji apples (grade 2 and above, 200mm) was 6.99 yuan/kg, and on April 12, this price was 6.24 yuan/kg.
Reporters learned that apples go through multiple links from the tree to the sales terminal, including agents, packing, transportation, storage, wholesale, and merchants, and each link incurs costs.
"Our logistics costs are very high, accounting for about 17% of the terminal sales price. In European and American countries, this proportion is 7%-8%," Huo Xuexi told reporters.
Although e-commerce sales from production areas directly to consumers have fewer links, logistics costs such as cold chain and distribution are very high. A market manager from a well-known e-commerce platform also revealed to reporters that when transporting fresh produce like apples, packaging materials must be used to ensure cold and fresh preservation, with packaging costs ranging from 4 to 8 yuan. In the distribution link, the cost of the "last mile" delivery from centralized warehouses to consumers is also extremely high.
In addition to logistics costs, real estate and labor costs in large and medium-sized city retail channels are also reasons for the high selling price of apples at the consumer end. In other words, the considerable store rent, personnel expenses, etc., are all included in the selling price of apples.
In addition, according to media reports, although the state does not allow supermarkets to charge entry fees or stocking fees for agricultural products, in actual operations, if entering a supermarket or wholesale market, there are stall fees and entry fees, which are still a default unavoidable expense.
All these costs are ultimately passed on to consumers, causing the price of apples to skyrocket after several transfers from the field to the consumer.
Is e-commerce promotion of apples feasible?
About 20 days ago, it was the most severe period of unsalable apples in Dangshan County. Seeing apples rotting in the fields, fruit farmers were extremely anxious. "Some fruit farmers had only a dozen catties left from a box of 40 catties of apples," said Wang Shuguang. Anxious fruit farmers posted information about unsalable apples on Weibo, WeChat, etc., and he was one of them. At the same time, he also sold apples through online channels such as WeChat stores and WeChat Moments.
"The effect is quite significant," said Wang Shuguang. "Now goods are moving through various channels, with large trucks coming to pick them up, express delivery, and all sorts of methods."
It is reported that Dangshan County has an apple planting area of 100,000 mu. Early and mid-season varieties of 40,000 mu have been sold out. The late-season Red Fuji variety has 60,000 mu, with a yield of about 150 million kilograms. The unsold ones currently belong to this category of apples.
From a natural conditions perspective, Dangshan, a "hometown of fruits," is a sub-optimal growing area for apples. Compared to advantageous areas, the quality of its fruits is not superior, making it difficult to sell at high prices in the market.
"Dangshan's apple planting area is not large, and it is already a weak industry with lacking conditions for brand cultivation. As for improving apple quality, since the low-end market was profitable in previous years, fruit farmers lacked the motivation to change," said Zhu Qigao, director of the Dangshan County Apple Industry Development Service Center. When apple prices were high, and Luochuan and Yantai apples could generally be sold for 8-9 yuan/jin, the highest purchase price for Dangshan apples was no more than 4 yuan/jin.
In fact, nationwide, apples produced in advantageous areas, with good quality and high brand recognition, are selling very well and have been basically sold out. Although prices have fallen back, the decline is not significant, which is a "normal return" of prices.
The current "tough nut to crack" in apple sales is mostly located in sub-optimal areas, or although located in advantageous production areas, management and operation are poor. Various reasons have caused these apples to have large price drops and poor sales.
The "Apple E-commerce Sales Month Action" organized by the Ministry of Agriculture aims to solve a large part of the sales of these types of apples. According to the issued notice, this activity aims to further promote the Ministry of Agriculture's relevant agricultural e-commerce action plan and fully leverage the important role of e-commerce in precisely matching supply and demand, reducing circulation costs, and promoting agricultural supply-side reform. Participating e-commerce will operate on the principle of breaking even with small profits and multi-party win-win, allowing fruit farmers in apple production areas and consumers to share the achievements of "Internet + Agricultural E-commerce."
Regarding organizing e-commerce sales of apples, industry insiders told reporters that it is a "good thing" for fruit farmers, but how to ensure quality control is crucial.
Reporters opened the apple sales page of an e-commerce platform and found that the lowest selling price of apples was 4 yuan/jin, and there were negative reviews from consumers such as "all rotten" and "mushy."
"For e-commerce, product quality and building trust are very important," a nameless expert told reporters. "The desire to help sell apples is good, but it may be difficult to truly solve the problem." (Hu Xuanzi)