干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The 23% consolidation of China’s strawberry industry from 70,000ha in 2005 to 53,000ha in 2006 due to extreme climate conditions reduced production from 840,000 t to 650,000 t. This tonnage includes a 40% market share for processing for the home market (150,000-190,000t) and frozen fruit for both the home market and export (70,000-90,000 t) and makes China the world’s third largest strawberry producer after the US and Europe.

Strawberry cultivation in China is characterised by family smallholders with an averaged acreage of ca. 2,000 m(2) and salaries of 2 euros/person/day for hired labour resulting in ca. 500 euros/1,000 m(2) gross return. The major growing regions are the provinces Hebei (near Baoding), Shandong, Liaoning with an acreage of ca. 10,000 ha each. Strawberry plants and varieties are imported, but new Chinese varieties such as ’Chun Xing’, ’Xing Du 1 and 2’, ’Xuemi’ and ’Chun Xu’ are increasingly grown. The Chinese varieties are characterised by their sweet flavour with low acidity, a pre-requisite for the Asian market, and good taste and are adapted to the respective growing climate. A portion of the strawberry harvest is used for processing due to insufficient external fruit quality such as size, shape and colour by European standard. Strawberry research in China is spread between 9 institutions and universities throughout the country.

Strawberries were regarded as exclusive desert and luxury for the upper class during the ten years of the cultural revolution between 1966-1976 under Mao Zedong. Today, fresh strawberries are sold in street markets or supermarkets. Import of strawberry fruit is prohibited, except for Hongkong, which imports 2,200 t from China and the US. China’s export of 76,000 t in 2005, equivalent to a 9-10% export rate, was shipped to Japan (11,000 t) and Germany (8,700 t) with dumping prices below 50 cent/kg.