China News Service, September 9th (Xie Yiguan, a reporter from China News and Finance) "August 15th, chrysanthemum yellow crab fat", the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a day for family reunion, but also a good time to admire the moon and taste crabs.

　　But this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, plump hairy crabs may be absent from people's dining table.

Data map: Crab.

Photo by Zhu Linyan

Many hairy crabs are not yet fully mature

　　"In the national market now, the hairy crabs in most production areas are not yet fully mature." Shanshan (pseudonym), a hairy crab seller from Wuhu, Anhui, told a reporter from Zhongxin Finance and Economics.

　　According to Shanshan, the high temperature this summer lasted for a long time and there was little rain, which caused the hairy crabs to not like to "eat" and grow slowly.

"The last molting period of hairy crabs begins in mid-August every year. Only when this molting is successfully completed can they be considered as crabs. However, the continuous high temperature in Jiangsu and Zhejiang since August has made this molting not very smooth."

　　Affected by the high temperature, coupled with the advance of the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, "the hairy crabs listed before the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, especially the larger ones, are much less than in previous years." Shanshan said.

　　As for the high-quality Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, according to media reports, because the maturity time is later than that of Xinghua, Hongze Lake and other production areas, "it is certain that they will not be able to catch up with the Mid-Autumn Festival." Yao Shuisheng, a spokesman for the Suzhou Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crab Industry Association, said that the Mid-Autumn Festival The former "small batch listing" is basically hopeless. This year, Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs are expected to be listed on October 15th.

Data map: Farmers catch hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo

The price is also more expensive than before the Mid-Autumn Festival in previous years

　　In a vegetable market in Xicheng District, Beijing, hairy crabs sell for 30 yuan a piece.

"The closer to the Mid-Autumn Festival, the more expensive the price will be." The merchant told reporters.

　　Many hairy crab sellers said that due to the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, the price of hairy crabs will be more expensive before the Mid-Autumn Festival every year.

This year, the market supply will be less, and the price will only be more expensive.

　　A hairy crab seller from Gucheng Lake, Jiangsu told reporters that the price of hairy crabs may double in the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

　　"The high temperature not only delays the shelling time of hairy crabs, but also accelerates the decay of the water plants in the lake, which affects the breeding environment. Although crab farmers use oxygeners to add oxygen to the water, in high temperature weather, they will still lose part of the 'underage'. 'The hairy crabs." Shanshan predicts, "As the production of crabs has been affected this year, even when the crabs are fully matured and marketed in large quantities in the later stage, if there are no other factors, the price will be higher than in previous years."

　　Jiangsu Province is one of the main origins of hairy crabs.

Previously, the investigation report on fishery production and aquatic products of the Jiangsu Provincial Research Group on Stable Production and Guaranteed Supply showed that the situation of high temperature and drought disasters in various parts of Jiangsu Province is not optimistic. The overall situation in northern Jiangsu is better than that in southern Jiangsu. Daily dead crabs reach 2-10/mu.

　　According to media reports, according to data from the Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crab Association, the overall output of hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake last year was 10,900 tons. It is estimated that about 50% of the hairy crabs will be 3.5 to 4.2 this year, and the output of big crabs will decrease by nearly 20% compared with previous years.

Relevant personnel predict that the price of high-quality hairy crabs will rise by 20% this year.

Data map: Kowloonkou hairy crabs.

Photo by Yin Liqin

Fat hairy crabs are hard to get on the Mid-autumn dinner table

　　Since the hairy crabs are generally not fully mature, the reporter noticed that in addition to the small quantity and high price, many consumers also reported that many crabs sold now are not fat.

　　"The high temperature and lack of rain in July and August delayed the shelling and growth of hairy crabs. The listing should be postponed according to reason, but this year because of the Mid-Autumn Festival, it will be listed ahead of schedule. The quality of the crabs can be imagined." The above-mentioned hairy crab seller in Gucheng Lake, Jiangsu said.

　　A businessman selling hairy crabs in the vegetable market in Xicheng District, Beijing also told reporters that September is the best time to eat hairy crabs in the lunar calendar, when the crabs will be fatter.

　　Although the hairy crabs have not yet reached the fattest time, on the e-commerce platform, many merchants have begun to sell large crabs in stock, and some merchants even call them Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs.

　　The reporter asked a businessman who sold Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs. He said that it is now listed in small batches, mainly for early adopters.

Data map: Authentic Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs that have just been steamed.

Photo by Guo Yanan

Crab cards and crab coupons are selling well, beware of "paper crabs"

　　Because before the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, most of the hairy crabs are of high quality and poor quality, so many people choose to buy crab cards and crab coupons.

　　The reporter noticed that on e-commerce platforms, the monthly sales of some crab cards have reached tens of thousands, but are crab cards and crab coupons really reliable?

　　On the consumer service platform Black Cat Complaint, the reporter searched for "crab card", and it showed that there were thousands of complaints. The content of the complaints focused on "after purchasing the crab card, the merchant could not be contacted and the goods could not be picked up".

　　For example, some consumers reported that they purchased a crab card for Suyu 3888 hairy crabs in September 2020, which is valid for the three crab seasons from 2020 to 2023.

I made an appointment in 2020 and 2021, and it was indicated that the appointment was full during the pick-up time period. Now I found that the online store has disappeared, the WeChat pick-up cannot open the appointment interface, and the merchant’s official account shows that the account has been sold.

　　Under the circumstances that this year's production is expected to decline, start with crab card crab coupons or be more careful about "paper crabs".

　　Recently, the Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Committee issued a consumer reminder for online shopping of hairy crabs, saying that after consumers buy hairy crab coupons, they need to check the validity period and pick up the goods as soon as possible, so as to avoid missing the hairy crab listing stage, resulting in no crabs to pick up or encountering merchants running away.

　　The origin of falsely labeled hairy crabs and the lack of products are also hotspots of complaints in previous years.

The Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Committee recommends that when consumers buy hairy crab products, they can understand the approximate price range of the market in advance, be alert to low prices, and check the logistics origin, crab buckle logo and other information to prevent being deceived.

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