In my last column, I provided an overview of the citrus industry in China. In this column, we’ll shift the focus more to China as a market for citrus products. With a population of 1.3 to 1.4 billion people, China ranks with India as the most populous countries in the world. Unlike India, however, China’s rate of population growth has slowed. The one-child policy that has been in place for several years has resulted in little population growth over the past decade. Some forecasts suggest that unless the one-child policy is relaxed, China’s population may begin to contract. Even though there has been strong migration from rural areas to the cities, nearly three-fourths of China’s population still resides in either rural areas or small cities. During our visit in June, we were still struck by the high level of new construction, even in smaller cities.
We are in the process of initiating consumer studies to better document Chinese attitudes toward citrus products. The following observations represent consensus we heard from Chinese researchers regarding citrus consumption in China. First and foremost is that citrus products have been a part of the Chinese diet for centuries. Remember that most citrus varieties originated in China. Citrus production is widespread across southern China so that fresh citrus is available throughout the country during the main harvest period extending from November to March.
OJ Observations
Culture Shock
Increasing consumer income has been associated with increased consumption of citrus products in many other countries. It will be interesting to see the outcome in China as its economy grows.