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As China battles a massive COVID surge, lemons see rise in demand

As China battles a massive COVID surge, lemons see rise in demand

 Cities like Beijing and Shanghai, where people are racing to acquire foods rich in vitamin C to enhance their immunity in the newest fight against the epidemic, are driving up demand for Wen's lemons.

Lemon producers in China are experiencing an unexpected business boom as people resort to natural cures to combat an increasing number of Covid infections.

One farmer, identified only by his surname when reached by phone and going by the name Wen, stated, "The market is very much on fire." In Anyue, a county in the southwest province of Sichuan, where roughly 70% of the fruit is produced in China, Wen cultivates lemons on an area of around 130 acres (53 hectares).

Cities like Beijing and Shanghai, where people are racing to acquire foods rich in vitamin C to enhance their immunity in the newest fight against the epidemic, are driving up demand for Wen's lemons. 

Another illustration of how an unprepared population is being forced to deal with the government's abrupt departure from the Covid Zero rules that have been in place for the last three years is the shortage of cold and flu medications. There is not enough proof to support vitamin C's ability to treat or prevent COVID.

Another farmer in Anyue by the name of Liu Yanjing claimed that the price of lemons had risen in the previous four or five days. Liu claimed that in order to fulfill the orders coming in from all around the nation, he is working 14 hours every day. Lemons were going for roughly 30 to 40 cents US per half a kilo, or 2 or 3 yuan, until the most recent rise. They are now 6 yuan, he stated.

According to local media, sales of other fruits including oranges and pears are also surging on the e-commerce website Dingdong Maicai, which sells fresh goods. Another item that is in high demand is canned yellow peaches because some Chinese people think that the cold, sweet fruit helps increase appetite, especially when you're sick. According to one estimate, sales of the product at Freshippo, a grocery store chain operated by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., had increased by almost 900%.

China's fruit and vegetable growers were already concerned about tonnes of fresh food building up due to the country's strict viral restrictions on the movement just a month ago. According to Wen, the price of lemons in the villages of Anyue dropped to nearly nothing as stockpiles grew without either domestic or export markets to sell to, causing significant losses for farmers. Now, everything has changed.


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