New Covid-19 cases lead to closure of Xinfadi Wholesale Market

The Xinfadi Wholesale Market was reclosed on 13th June following the discovery of Covid-19 cases at the market. If the closure is prolonged, then the impact on the overall supply of fruit and vegetables will be greater, given the relatively short shelf life of fresh produce. The authorities established a temporary fruit trading zone soon after Xinfadi was closed, but this happened too late for much of the cargo to be unloaded, resulting in large volumes rotting and being discarded. What’s more, many perishable products still in transit cannot enter the market or even the surrounding areas. This means that delivery companies must return the goods to the place of shipment. 

To compensate for the closure of Xinfadi, north China’s Hebei Province has redoubled its efforts to supply Beijing. The provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs has drafted 13 vegetable bases in 10 counties to guarantee the supply of vegetables to Beijing. Located next to Beijing, Hebei has 290,000 hectares of vegetable fields, supplying cucumber, tomato, aubergine, peppers and leafy vegetables, which are currently in the middle and late stages of harvest.

According to the department’s latest data, Hebei will produce 3.3 million tons of fresh vegetables in June, with a daily supply capacity of 110,000 tons of vegetables.

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