Wishing everyone a peaceful Dragon Boat Festival and a happy holiday.
The past couple of days were spent at my father-in-law’s place helping pick lychees. Right before the festival, good-looking Nuomici lychees were still selling well, with prices holding at around 15 to 20 yuan per jin, and demand was stronger than supply. When the fruit at home ripens early enough, it can still catch that better window in the market.
After the holiday, though, things changed quickly. Once large volumes of lychees started coming onto the market, purchase prices dropped sharply. Another reason was that growers from other counties and villages were also hauling big loads into Zhenlong to sell, which put noticeable pressure on the local market. At that point, deals were already being made at 10 yuan or even 8 yuan per jin.
On Dragon Boat Festival day itself, the market was so weak that we barely picked much fruit. Only a little over a hundred jin was harvested, mainly to send out by express delivery. Shipping outside the province is really expensive. 😱
At around four in the afternoon, a whole bunch of kids were taken down to the stream below the reservoir to play in the water. It was my son’s first time getting into the water, and he was so excited he could hardly contain himself. The local villagers had enclosed that little stretch of river and creek, and entry was 5 yuan per person. The children played right up until mealtime and still did not want to leave. Summer really does seem to go perfectly with water.
By the end of the month, the best time to enjoy lychees this year will basically be over. It is a fruit you really only get to savor properly once a year, and in a light-yield season, you cannot even eat as much as you want because the prices stay high.
For anyone outside the area hoping to try freshly picked Zhenlong lychees, now is still a good time. Nuomici, known for its small seed and thick flesh, is currently down to 7 yuan per jin. Shipping costs to different places are shown below.
Small trial orders are available through the end of the month. This is not a commercial operation, but the fruit can be picked the same day and shipped out together that afternoon. 💪🙏