After undergoing the inspection and quarantine procedures carried out by the Linhai Office of Taizhou Customs, 100 cartons of a total of 1,125 kilos of waxberries from Zhejiang Yongfeng Fresh Fruit Professional Cooperative were loaded on a plane to Belgium. “Affected by the drought and cold snaps at the beginning of the year, local waxberry production is 20% lower this year, but orders from overseas have been pouring in.” Ying Qimin, chairman of Zhejiang Yongfeng Fresh Fruit Professional Cooperative said. “I still remember the first year that we exported to Spain. At the time, overseas customers didn’t know this fruit at all, and it took quite some time to complete customs clearance.”
The sweet and tart taste of waxberries is becoming increasingly popular with overseas consumers. In supermarkets in the U.S., fresh waxberries are marketed at as high as US$49.99/lb. In comparison, prices in China are rather affordable. As soon as the season started this year, Ying Qimin’s cooperative received orders from 10 countries with a total order volume of 30 tons, more than doubling the previous year. The average export price is around 50,000 yuan per ton. The huge increase in orders is inseparable from the assistance of the customs. From the fruit set to the harvest, the customs staff monitored the whole process and went through the customs clearance procedures as quickly as possible to ensure the freshness of the exports.
After being dispatched, the products are transported in the cold chain throughout the journey and can be delivered to overseas consumers within 36 hours. In the next step, Taizhou will launch a new product, frozen waxberries, to further expand overseas markets and allow more overseas consumers to taste the delicious Chinese waxberries.
Source: Taizhou News