Lychee exports boom on efficient policies

Employees sort lychee at a processing plant in Maoming, Guangdong province. QIU QUANLIN/CHINA DAILY

Zengcheng district in Guangdong province recently exported 960 kilograms 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 Zhou Xichuan, general manager of Guangzhou Anhe Agricultural Development Co.

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 percent year-on-year to 7,014 metric tons from April to June, with their value also increasing by 47.9 percent year-on-year to 139 million yuan ($19.45 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 percent of the country's total, according to the local Customs. Guangdong's production of lychee has reached 1.6 million tons so far this year, with total sales of 16 billion yuan.

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 percent.

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 Chen Yaohua, chairman of Guangdong Zungly Agricultural Group.

The company's exports of lychee touched 4,300 tons 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 meters for storage of 5 tons of lychee, helps retain the freshness of the agricultural product for more than a month. It also has several functions, such as humidity addition, sterilization and precise temperature control.

Local Customs officers have visited local farmers and companies to instruct them on quarantine and technical training, as well as introducing new preservation technologies for the export of lychee.

"The Customs have guided us to introduce new cold chain technologies, helping extend the storage period of lychee to 30-40 days to ensure freshness for foreign customers," said Lu Yajin, head of Liangdong Risheng Lychee Cooperative in Lianjiang of Zhanjiang, Guangdong.

In the first half of this year, exports of lychee from Zhanjiang, also a major growing base of lychee in Guangdong, reached 4,490.4 tons, a year-on-year increase of 63.6 percent, according to the local Customs.