The largest fruit market in Shanghai is set to be relocated. (Photo : shanghaihighlights.com)
After 18 years of staying at the Shanhua Fruit Wholesale Market on Caoyang Road, Shanghai's fruit vendors will now be relocated to another area as the local government undertakes a sanitation drive.
According to an announcement made by the Shanhua Fruit Market Business Management Co., over 500 sellers will be moved to Qingpu District's Huajin Market of Agricultural Products, while the rest will be transferred to the state-owned Xijiao International.
Because of the news, vendors of Shanghai's largest fruit market are currently offering their products at a discounted price.
A regular customer surnamed Zhang shared that he and his wife "will definitely miss the market because [they] are paying bargain prices for good quality fruits."
"The pomelos sell for 3.3 yuan ($0.5) per kilogram elsewhere but here we get it for 2.5 yuan," Zhang said.
However, other residents in the area have welcomed the decision, saying that the market was dirty and stinking.
"The pavement near the Shanhua market is always sticky and crates of rotten fruits stink during summer," a woman living nearby claimed.
According to the management, more than 30 percent of the city's fruit basket was done in the wholesale market that stretches 40,000 square meters. Its annual trading volume was close to 3 billion yuan.
For some of the fruit vendors, they said that they prefer markets with more relaxed rules, comparing Shanhua with strictly regulated areas like Xijiao International.
However, another fraction of the sellers said that the new location will be more ideal, especially for those whose buyers come in cars. Some have also expressed their favor to Xijiao because of more reliable conditions.
"We chose to relocate to Xijiao International because we feel that a state-owned institution is more reliable and we do see good prospects there, but their membership-only and no-cash rules might deter some of our customers because they make trade less flexible," one of the vendors said.
