As good as gold: Amazonian abiu fetches premium prices in southern China

Growers in southern China are securing premium prices for abiu, a South American tropical fruit that is gaining momentum across high-end domestic retail channels, ChinaFruitPortal.com reported. 

Strong consumer demand in tier-one cities and tight early-season supply have pushed farmgate prices as high as $4 per pound, driving regional expansion across Hainan, Guangdong, and Guangxi provinces. In Sanya, Hainan, the Mingshan Village Abiu Demonstration Base currently harvests about 1,000 pounds per day to supply local distributors. 

Base operators introduced the Amazonian crop in 2022 and reached commercial volume last year. Taking advantage of Hainan’s tropical climate, the farm produces two staggered abiu crops annually from February through April and May through July.

Summer farmgate prices in Sanya hold between $2.10 and $2.50 per pound, according to local news outlet Hainan Daily, and current local supply falls short of market demand. Growers use grafting techniques to improve tree genetics and yields, with long-term plans to scale abiu cultivation to 165 acres to supply national distribution channels.

Abiu production continues to grow

Production of the fruit is also ramping up in Guangdong province, where the Le'an Village Abiu Base in Yangjiang operates a high-yield commercial harvest specializing in large-fruit varieties Yellow Gem No. 2 and Jiulong No. 6. Developed through research partnerships with the Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, the facility yields up to 17.8 tons per acre.

Yangjiang growers average wholesale prices of $4 per pound, shipping approximately 550 pounds of fresh fruit daily to major urban markets in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The facility also generates auxiliary revenue through nursery operations, selling roughly 40,000 saplings annually at $19 each to commercial growers expanding acreage across the region.

Further west in Guangxi, the Xinxiu Village Abiu Base in Hepu manages approximately seven acres planted at 100 trees per acre. Trees average 50 pounds of fruit each during the primary June-through-August harvest window, with large fruit weighing up to 1.6 pounds and small fruit averaging 0.6 pounds.

According to the Beihai Media Center, Guangxi farmgate prices stand at $2.8 per pound, with shipments targeted primarily toward Nanning and Hainan. Local municipal authorities introduced abiu and durian to diversify traditional regional production away from lychee, starfruit, and mango, using the abiu base as a demonstration project to encourage wider grower adoption.

*All images by Hainan Daily.

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