- M Schoeman
- Laughing Waters, Privaatsak 557, Hectorspruit 1330
- 1990
Grafieke en tabelle word gebruik om marktendense oar die afgelope sewe jaar te illustreer. Die invloed van seisoenduurte, vrugkwaliteit, konkurrente produkte, ooraanbod en lae produksie op markpryse word bespreek.
Summary:
The article analyzes the marketing of litchis on the local National Fresh Produce Markets in South Africa over seven production seasons from 1983/84 to 1989/90.
Four largest markets handle over 86% of locally marketed litchis: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, and Cape Town.
Market prices of litchis are influenced by supply and demand principles, showing an inverse relationship where prices drop when volumes increase and rise when volumes decrease.
Other price determinants include season length, fruit quality, competition from other seasonal products, oversupply, and low production.
A longer production season results in relatively stable prices, illustrated by a six-month season in Johannesburg during 1989/90.
Quality of fruit impacts prices; lower quality at the end of the season prevents prices from rising even with lower supply.
Competition with other fruit types affects litchi prices on the markets.
Oversupply leads to a sharp price decline and establishes a new lower price baseline.
The price-volume relationship holds true at both national and specific market levels over the seasons analyzed.
Statistical tables and graphical figures in the article illustrate monthly sales volumes, average prices, and price-volume trends for each market.
Price trends typically show a decline from the start to the end of the production season.
Lean production seasons tend to stabilize at higher price levels, which impacts prices in subsequent seasons.
The data indicate that the free market principle, where price is determined by demand and supply, applies to the litchi market on these national markets.