Patna, July 4: The Chinese invasion in the country seems to be growing bigger and bigger with each passing day. First, electronic gadgets captured a good share of the market, now Chinese apples have flooded the fruit market.

Demand for the fresh and enticing apples with a longer shelf life has been quite high, irrespective of its price being more than Indian apples.

Visit Phal Bazaar near Income Tax roundabout and you will find customers buying Chinese apples in bulk.

“Chinese apples are fresher compared to the Indian varieties and it can stored for a long time. Customers get attracted towards the apples’ pink thermocol packing. Though the price is high, customers flock to buy it,” said Rahul Kumar, a vendor at Phal Bazaar.

He added: “The demand for Chinese apples is really high and the best part is that customers are ready to shell out Rs 180 to Rs 230 a kg depending on the varieties of the apple. Basically, three kinds of Chinese apples are available in the market and the costliest is King, the others being CK and Fiji.”

Madhu Singh, a resident of Kidwaipuri area, who was seen buying Chinese apples, said: “It’s not that I don’t like the Indian apples but Chinese apples look more fresh and taste different from apples from Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. This one is more juicy and tasty and I don’t need to keep them in the refrigerator. It stays edible for almost 15 to 20 days, whereas the Indian varieties start rotting after two to three days. I know it’s quite expensive but people do not hesitate to spend some extra bucks on a good product. I believe that it’s worth buying Chinese apples rather than Indian ones.”

Another customer, Prakash Kumar, a resident of Boring Road, said: “The Indian apples used to be good but I don’t think that we are fortunate to get the real ones grown in Shimla or Kashmir. Most of it are exported and the remnants, which are not as good as the fresh ones, are sent to states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. By the time it lands in the market, the charm is almost gone and we get apples that are rejected and not being sent abroad. The worst part is that for those apples, we pay Rs 80 to Rs 100 a kg.”

He added: “Just give me a good reason why should I buy the Indian varieties. It’s better to pay more but get the best of apples. I don’t mind paying more till I am getting fresh fruits and do not feel cheated.”

Aftab Alam, another fruit vendor, said: “People consider buying expensive Chinese apples as a status symbol.”