Mandarin oranges have become the new darling of the fruit market in Guangxi, with a selling price of over 10 yuan per jin.

Once an obscure wild fruit in the mountains and countryside, the yu gan is now prominently displayed in the most visible spots of Guangxi fruit market stalls. From farmers' markets to milk tea shops, yu gan is rapidly becoming the "top-tier newcomer" in the Guangxi fruit market, with particularly strong performance in Nanning.

In early November, at the Guangxi Haijixing Fruit Wholesale Market, yu gan fruit was packaged in 500-gram bags, boxes, and sold in bulk, with each kilogram priced at over 10 yuan. "This year, we can sell dozens of them every day, and there has been a shortage since they were first listed," a wholesaler explained. Besides being consumed fresh by the public, bulk purchases by milk tea shops and restaurants account for the majority of sales.

The popularity of yu gan beverages is the main reason for the surge in demand for fresh yu gan fruit. Handmade yu gan juice has become a "hot item" in Guangxi beverage shops, priced between 10 and 20 yuan, with a high repurchase rate of 60%. In commercial areas like Chaoyang and Hangyang in Nanning, both chain brands like Nai Xue's Tea and local milk tea shops like Cui Cha Shi have launched yu gan beverages.

The rise of yu gan can be attributed to the iterative upgrade of its varieties, with the current market dominated by improved high-quality varieties. The improved varieties from Guangdong's Chaoshan region retain the core sweet flavor, with a significant reduction in sour and astringent taste, and have thick, juicy, and crispy flesh with no residue. Guangxi's local "Pingnan Dayu Yu Gan Fruit," as a national agricultural product geographical indication product, has become the preferred raw material for milk tea shops and sour soup shops.

In China, yu gan is mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions such as Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou. Currently, there are two types of yu gan on the market: wild yu gan and fruit-type yu gan. Guangxi is the largest base for yu gan cultivation in China, mainly concentrated in Liuzhou, Baise, and Hechi.

Image source: Network 2025 International Fruit and Vegetable Report. All rights reserved. For reprints, please contact the International Fruit and Vegetable Report for permission and credit.