ANN/CHINADAILY – Zengcheng district in Guangdong province, China recently exported 960 kilogrammes of lychee to the Netherlands after the batch passed on-site quarantine requirements at the local Customs office.
In fact, exports of lychee from Guangdong, a major production base of the traditional agricultural product, have increased sharply in the second quarter of the year, usually a peak time for sales, according to local Customs data.
“Exports of lychee have high requirements for storage conditions, Customs clearance time and logistics transportation as the fruit is prone to browning when stored at room temperature for 24 hours in summer,” said General Manager of Guangzhou Anhe Agricultural Development Co Zhou Xichuan.
To make the process more efficient, local Customs opened a green channel for shipping of the small, rounded fruit, and provided 24-hour Customs clearance services.
“Opening the green channel not only helps save time for preservation of lychee, but also helps us get more orders from international customers,” said Zhou. Exports of lychee from the province grew 66.7 per cent year-on-year to 7,014 metric tonnes from April to June, with their value also increasing by 47.9 per cent year-on-year to CNY139 million, according to data from the Guangdong Sub-administration of the General Administration of Customs.
The export volume of lychee from the province in South China currently accounts for 62.6 per cent of the country’s total, according to the local Customs. Guangdong’s production of lychee has reached 1.6 million tonnes so far this year, with total sales of CNY16 billion.
To facilitate trade, local rural and agricultural affairs authorities have held a series of promotional events at home and abroad. Currently, lychee produced in Guangdong is exported to more than 20 countries and regions.
China Southern Airlines has introduced a special airfreight price for its export, with discounts of up to 35 per cent.
Under a digital logistics system for lychee exports set by leading Chinese courier SF Express, which covers 28 countries and regions, the fruit can reach Kenya two days after being sent from Guangzhou in Guangdong.
“We are committed to extending the sales radius and marketing cycle of Chinese lychees both domestically and internationally,” said Chairman of Guangdong Zungly Agricultural Group Chen Yaohua.
The company’s exports of lychee touched 4,300 tonnes this year, with exports to countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership bloc doubling, according to Chen.
The company, set up in 2019, has established a complete industrial chain that integrates research and development of seeds, planting, processing and preservation, and cold chain warehousing for lychee.
In addition to Guangdong, the company’s planting bases are located in Hainan, Fujian and Sichuan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
“Keeping the freshness of lychee on shelves is still the focus in exports as it takes some time for the agricultural product to be exported and sold in the market,” Chen said.
Recently, Gree Electric Appliances, a Chinese home appliances manufacturer, launched a mobile appliance that keeps lychee fresh, helping to effectively extend the preservation period of the traditional fruit.
The appliance, with an effective internal volume of 20 cubic metres for storage of five tonnes of lychee, helps retain the freshness of the agricultural product for more than a month. It also has several functions, such as humidity addition, sterilisation and precise temperature control.
