In a blueberry greenhouse in Tumotezuo Banner, Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, workers are busy picking blueberries and supplying the market.

　　Photo by Ding Genhou (People's Vision)

　　"I used to be reluctant to eat it, but now I can buy three boxes at one go." In a fruit market in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, consumer Su Jian, carried the blueberries he just bought, "It costs more than 30 yuan per pound, which is much cheaper than before."

　　Recently, the topic of "Blueberries are cheaper" has frequently become popular online searches. On platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, many consumers posted photos of themselves "stocking blueberries", "Finally, blueberries are free", "Once you buy, you can get a whole box"... The "noble fruits" that were originally worth hundreds of yuan per pound are approaching more consumers at affordable prices.

　　"Blueberries were almost only seen in high-end supermarkets or boutique fruit shops. A box costs dozens of yuan, only a small handful. Not only is it small in quantity, some are also very sour." Su Jian said that now, whether it is supermarkets or community fruit stalls, you can see blueberries in conspicuous places. "The price is cheaper and it is much bigger."

　　The author visited the markets in Beijing, Hangzhou, Zhejiang and other places and found that at present, the retail price of blueberries in many places is generally between 40 and 50 yuan per catty. In some online live broadcast rooms, the promotional price of blueberries reached 35 yuan per catty. According to Beijing Xinfadi market data, on April 23, the average price of blueberries reached 32.5 yuan per catty. According to a fruit wholesaler, in Yunnan and Shandong, the main blueberry production areas, the purchase price of blueberry land has dropped to about 60 yuan per kilogram, "This year is the lowest price of blueberry in the past decade."

　　Why are the prices of blueberries now? Some industry insiders analyzed that the sharp increase in production is the main reason for the price drop in blueberries.

　　In the past, China's blueberries mainly relied on imports, with high transportation costs and limited supply, so the price was naturally not low. In recent years, the popularity of blueberries in China has continued to heat up. Li Yadong, a professor at Jilin Agricultural University, introduced that according to research data across the country and data provided by planting companies and blueberry sellers, in 2024, the blueberry cultivation area in China was 1.4382 million mu, an increase of 44.38% from 996,200 mu in 2020. The total blueberry production nationwide will be 780,000 tons in 2024, a significant increase from 2020. It is expected that the blueberry planting area and output will further expand in the future.

　　"As we grow too much, we will be on the market quickly, and the market can't digest it at once, so the price will naturally drop." said Zhu Renqing, a blueberry grower in Ju County, Rizhao, Shandong. Although the concentrated listing of blueberries has pushed up the supply, the price reduction of blueberries is not a temporary trend.

　　From the supply side, with the gradual maturity of blueberry planting technology, the standardization level in variety selection, planting management, greenhouse facilities and other aspects has been significantly improved, attracting more small and medium-sized growers to grow blueberries and promote the overall output to rise. At the same time, blueberry terminal products have richer forms and more sales channels, allowing various blueberry products to reach thousands of households.

　　"In the past, we mainly relied on traditional wholesale orders for selling blueberries." Zhu Renqing introduced that the output is high now, although the market demand is large, the competition is more fierce, and many fruit farmers have begun to try e-commerce retail. The mature e-commerce platform and the complete cold chain logistics and transportation system have broadened the sales radius for blueberry fruit farmers. "A customer from Guangdong has repurchased it from me 4 times. He said that our blueberries have a crispy and sweet taste, and they are very fresh when delivered, and the price is real." In Zhu Renqing's view, not only do you want to plant them, but you also have to think about how to sell them. "This is also a manifestation of the maturity of the industry."

　　Not only has the "price dropped", the quality of blueberries is also constantly improving, winning the favor of more consumers. "This year I have tried several new blueberry varieties. The one I am most satisfied with is the flower-scented blueberry L25 produced in Fuxian Lake, Yunnan." Su Jian introduced that this blueberry is large in size and has fruit cream. It will burst into pieces with a slight bite. It has a sweet fragrance, which is both cheap and delicious. "I placed an order in the live broadcast room and sent it from Yunnan to Hangzhou in one and a half days. When I opened the box, I also had a faint fruity aroma, and the freshness was visible to the naked eye."

　　"In recent years, my country's blueberry production has increased significantly, and the cultivation cost has been continuously reduced. There are also some e-commerce manufacturers who sell directly, reducing the intermediate links, etc., and the prices of fresh blueberry fruits are becoming more and more accepted by ordinary consumers." Liu Cheng, a scientist in the grape industry technology system of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said in an interview with the media that between June and July, the number of fresh blueberry fruits in the north and south will be on the market in large quantities, and the prices will continue to decline.

　　In fact, it is not just blueberries. As the cultivation technology matures and the scale of planting expands, more and more original high-end fruits are entering the homes of ordinary people. "Sakya and Wax, these fruits were not cheap before, but now I buy them from time to time to try them," said Su Jian. "There are a wide variety of fruits on the market and the prices are more affordable. People who love fruits are really good at it" - many consumers say so.

[Editor in charge: Feng Kong]