Lemon Prices Surge 5-Fold, Hitting Historic Peak, Lemon Tea Fails to "Knock It Out of the Park"...
According to Blue Whale News, the recent unit price of Anyi yellow lemons has been around 7.5-10 yuan per jin, with box prices soaring to 200 yuan per box, nearly doubling compared to the previous low price of 3-4 yuan per jin. Red Star Capital Bureau reports that this year, lemon prices have surged, with Sichuan Anyi lemons rising 3-5 times compared to the same period last year.
Currently, the retail price of yellow lemons in the market is generally 18-20 yuan per kilogram, with some larger, better-quality lemons reaching nearly 30 yuan per kilogram. Besides yellow lemons, prices of varieties like fragrant water lemons have also increased. A fragrant water lemon wholesaler at the Guangdong Jiangmen Xinhui District fruit wholesale market said that previously, wholesale prices were around 4-5 yuan per jin, but now they've reached 17-18 yuan per jin. Relatively, green lemon prices remain stable, ranging from 13-20 yuan per kilogram depending on quality, variety, and size. This year, yellow lemon prices have essentially equaled or even exceeded green lemon prices.
The main reason for this lemon price surge is severe production reduction in source producing areas. Sichuan Anyi, as an important lemon production region, has historically significantly influenced the national lemon market supply. However, this year, drought has led to extremely low fruit-bearing rates. An Anyi yellow lemon supplier stated that a single tree now produces only about a dozen fruits, with very low yield. Not only domestic production areas have seen reductions, but international regions like Turkey and Spain have also experienced decreases, further lowering global lemon supply. It is understood that lemon main production areas like Sichuan Anyi have generally seen 30%-60% production reductions due to extreme weather such as frost and drought.
Simultaneously, with summer approaching, beverage peak season has arrived, causing a sudden increase in lemon demand. From a procurement perspective, as temperatures rise, tea shops' lemon purchases have dramatically increased. Consumers' growing health consciousness has simultaneously boosted fresh lemon market demand. Additionally, the development of deep-processed lemon products has increased export volumes.
For the tea beverage industry,