Major Chinese fresh fruit e-commerce site Fruitday.com has announced its sales for January broke CNY100 million (US$16 million), close to its sales value for the whole first half of 2013. 

A company representative told www.freshfruitportal.com that cherries had been the main driving force behind the month's sales volumes, followed by kiwifruit and oranges.

The increasing spending power of Chinese consumers - especially those living in large urban areas - was a key reason behind such strong sales growth.

China's overall fresh fruit imports have also been seeing exponential increases.

According to Chinese customs data, fruit imports in 2012 amounted to US$3.68 billion, rising to US$4.16 billion in 2013. In 2014 from the period January through August alone they had reached US$3.6 billion.

Additionally, in 2013 less than 1% of fresh produce sales in China were reportedly made over the internet, but Fruitday.com expects e-commerce sales to increase seven-fold over the next three years.

The company currently has warehouses in five cities - Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu - and has plans to establish distribution centers in 13 cities nationwide.

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www.freshfruitportal.com