Recently, a Guangdong netizen posted a video claiming that after eating 3 jin of cherries, they developed a high fever, then went to the hospital, where infusion treatment caused an allergic reaction, sparking widespread discussion. On January 10th, “Fruit Hunter Jin Tong” released a video stating that due to the “3 jin of cherries” incident, a container of cherries lost 200,000 yuan, and by the 6th, before the New Year, China would receive 29,000 containers of cherries, with an estimated loss of 5.9 billion yuan. Why has the price of cherries experienced such a sharp drop? What has cherry planting brought to the people of Chile?
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;In 2019, partner Niu company’s capitalist Zhang Zhixiong saw profit potential in agriculture and switched from finance. Their team’s first fruit wholesale stall was set up at Guangzhou Jiangnan Market—China’s largest fruit import and export trade market, known as the first stop for many imported fruits entering China, and also called the “Chinese price” setter for imported fruits. Fruit wholesalers at Jiangnan Market said that this year, cherry prices are sluggish, down by a third compared to previous years. News reports that when Partner Niu first entered the fruit and vegetable industry, cherry prices were at their peak. Initially, “there was a widespread legend that making a fortune from cherries was easy, and business was so good that ‘if you have stock, you can sell it’.” As a result, the bourgeoisie in China and Chile vigorously expanded cherry cultivation in Chile. According to reports from Chile’s Agricultural Research and Policy Office, in 2000, the area of cherry orchards was only 3,241 hectares, but by 2022, this figure had increased 18 times to 61,559 hectares, and by 2024, it is expected to further increase to 74,148 hectares. Cherries now account for 16.4% of Chile’s total fruit tree area. In 2023, over 90% of imported cherries in China came from Chile, and 85% of Chilean cherries are exported to China. The contradiction between the social nature of production and the capitalist private ownership of means of production—the fundamental contradiction of capitalist mode of production—constitutes the real cause of overproduction economic crises. Capitalist producers blindly produce under competitive laws, engaging in fierce competition for profit. To win in competition, the bourgeoisie constantly improves production methods. They seek to reduce production and transportation costs and improve preservation methods. Alongside the trend of unlimited expansion of capitalist production, there is a trend of the shrinking demand of the working people who have the ability to pay. As China’s economy declines, the petty bourgeoisie who used to afford expensive cherries are increasingly strained, becoming impoverished and bankrupt. “Zhang Zhixiong revealed that this year, Chile’s cherry production is expected to increase by about 40% year-on-year.” The oversupply and sharp price drop of Chilean cherries are inevitable.
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; However, whether cherry prices are high or low, the living conditions of the Chilean people are continuously deteriorating. Domestic cherries often cost dozens or even hundreds of yuan per jin, while Chilean cherries in the local market only cost about five yuan. Such huge profits have made the Chinese bourgeoisie envious, prompting them to accelerate colonization of Chile, exploiting local raw materials and cheap labor to reap enormous profits. There are Chinese capitalists who have bought 2000 acres of land in Chile to hire Chilean workers to grow cherries. The Chinese government is also an important guarantee for Chinese capitalists to make huge profits in cherry trade. As early as 2017, China-Chile Free Trade Zone upgrade negotiations reached an agreement, with over 97% of products already tariff-free, including cherries. The reactionary Chilean government, seeking to sell out the country, has turned Chile into a “fruit garden” for China. In 2019, Andrés Fuenzalida, CEO of Chilean fruit company COPEFRUT, stated that fruit has become a pillar industry in Chile, with 8.7% of the 18 million people relying on the upstream and downstream supply chains of the fruit industry, among which those relying on cherries for their livelihood account for the largest proportion, about 1/3, roughly 500,000 people. Over the past 20 years, Chile’s cherry exports have increased by over 5000%, from about 36 million USD initially to 2 billion USD in 2023, making Chile a major global supplier of cherries. The claim that “Chinese foodies support 50,000 Chileans” is completely a shameful lie. Under the exploitation of Chinese capitalists and comprador classes, Chile’s national economy has been further ravaged, with a one-sided development of a single agricultural economy, which can only deepen the poverty and suffering of the Chilean people. In 2023, Partner Niu’s cherry sales reached about 200 million yuan, feeding the blood of colonized people to Chinese capitalists.
Investigate https://m.chinabaogao.com/market/202412/737660.html
Hema signed a strategic cooperation agreement with a leading Chilean cherry supplier in November. After reaching a direct procurement cooperation, the entire supply chain cost of cherries on this platform from Chile to Hema will decrease by about 5%. On December 14th, many cherry prices on Hema were at their lowest in nearly 30 days.
At the same time, supermarkets also entered a price war. For example, the cherries directly sourced by Pagoda from sea freight arrived at the port as early as November 27th. On December 14th, the Pagoda mini-program showed that the selling price of a single J cherry was 299 yuan/2.5kg.
It seems that direct procurement by major supermarkets should account for a certain proportion, but most are still wholesale and retail through various agricultural markets. However, agricultural markets need to be investigated, as they may be more monopolistic.
After crossing more than 20,000 kilometers, the first batch of Chilean imported cherries of the 2024 harvest season arrived in Shanghai, China.
It is reported that this batch of cherries arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport by air on October 12th. After customs inspection, the first batch of cherries was transported via cold chain and arrived at HuiZhan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market in Shanghai on the afternoon of the 14th. According to international fruit and vegetable news, this year’s first batch of cherries arriving in China are from Chilean growers, packers, and exporters Río King, with the variety Cheery Crunch, a total of 80 boxes, priced between 700-1000 yuan per box.