Published on :
The lifting of health restrictions and the surge in Covid-19 contamination in China are having an impact on the price of lemons, considered a natural immune booster.
From our correspondent in Beijing,
Citrus fruits – lemons, oranges –, but also fruits such as pears and peaches, are going very fast these days in China. For their vitamin C content, or simply because they are considered energy boosters, their prices skyrocket in times of Covid-19. The ” market is on fire », recently confided to the Bloomberg agency a farmer from Sichuan, the province of southwestern China, where 70% of lemons made in China are produced. Upon arrival, at the fruit vendor, opposite Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing, it gives prices doubled since the sudden end of the epidemic prevention and control policy: 9 yuan – a little more than 1.20 euro – the two lemons packed.
Prices could be even higher depending on the trader. ” Don’t complain, before it was 1.80 euro for both ! The price of lemon has increased several times with the epidemic. Lemon hot water is trending right now. This inflation also applies to fruits in general. Take the pears, they have also increased a lot lately. This price increase is expected to continue for the Spring Festival holiday “, he says.
The Lunar New Year holiday is expected to keep inflation going for grandmothers remedies, as them peaches in syrup, steamed pears with honey, lemon juice, but also berries, decoctions of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, currants, rich in antioxidants. Without forgetting the star of the moment: ginger in broth. Garlic, meanwhile, would have virtues against coughs and colds. But beware, the rise in the price of garlic is not only linked to an increase in demand on the market, but above all to futures contracts. This is according to Li Sheng, an expert from the Pioneer Garlic Group, in Shandong province on China’s east coast:
The demand on the market is not yet significant enough, it is the decline in futures contracts that has played a role. Of course, the lifting of health measures helps to streamline transport and logistics. At the same time, people are afraid of being infected and restaurants are still far from full. In fact, it is thanks to exports that the price of garlic remains high. If our exports fall, prices will go down.
China accounts for half of the world’s garlic exports. For lemons, on the other hand, it partly depends on imports, particularly from South Africa. The abrupt lifting of restrictions caught many Chinese off guard. It triggered panic buying with shortages of pain and fever pills, but also in some departments. Fresh lemons, believed to relieve mild symptoms of viral pneumonia, are in short supply.
► To read also: China: Beijing emergency room overwhelmed by surge in Covid-19 cases