Fresh watermelon offered with new supply and delivery options

Ding Yining
With spring here, watermelon season has begun in Shanghai with the first batch of Nanhui 8424 watermelons ready for retail and delivery, with more online options available.
Ding Yining
Fresh watermelon offered with new supply and delivery options
Ti Gong

The latest batch of seasonal watermelon is hitting the market and local retailers are rushing to offer the fresh fruit to shoppers.

The latest batch of seasonal watermelon is hitting the market, and local retailers are rushing to offer the fresh fruit to shoppers.

The city's fist batch of Nanhui 8424, the iconic local watermelon variety that's only sold during the summer, is already available on a number of online shopping sites including Freshippo, Dingdong Maicai and Meituan.

The city's farms and agricultural bases are working closely with online distributors and retailers as shoppers prefer to order fresh fruit through delivery sites.

Originated in 1984, the Nanhui 8424 watermelon is best known for its thin rind, crisp skin, juicy flesh and sweetness.

In the Pudong New Area, farming cooperatives are growing about 40,000 tons of "Nanhui 8424" watermelon each year, according to senior agriculturalist Zhang Wenxian at the Shanghai Agricultural Technology Promotion Service Center.

This year the guided retail price remains stable from a year ago, and the annual output is estimated at 3.2 million melons.

One 8424 watermelon weighing 4.5 kilograms or above is no less than 70 yuan (US$10), and the actual retail price varies at different sites.

Fresh watermelon offered with new supply and delivery options
Ti Gong

Watermelon growers check the latest situation at the farm.



More than 90 percent of watermelons sold at Freshippo are delivered by courier service, so they've designed a new package to make sure the melons stay intact when delivered by courier riders, according to Sun Qingyang, Shanghai regional general manager of Freshippo.

Freshippo's procurement of 8424 watermelon is expected to add 26 percent from a year earlier, with the majority to be sold at its Shanghai stores.

It's also planning to add a number of farming bases for other types of vegetables and fruit in eight towns in Pudong in the next two years, sourcing directly from local growers and implementing smart supply chain facilities.

Shanghai has been encouraging digital retailers to strengthen ties with local suppliers and promote intelligent agricultural production bases.

Farms and agricultural bases in the city are working closely with online distributors and retailers with a dozen of farming cooperatives signing sourcing contract with online retailers for swift delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Meituan said its direct sourcing base for watermelons in Pudong now covers more than 600,000 square meters.

Fresh watermelon offered with new supply and delivery options
Ti Gong

Meituan said its direct sourcing base for watermelons in Pudong now covers over 600,000 square meters.


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