Chinese fruit finds favor with SCO consumers

From sweet melons to juicy kiwifruit, Chinese produce is rapidly becoming the fruit bowl of choice for households in the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Horgos, a major inland trade port between northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and SCO member states, handled the export of 329,000 tonnes of fruit, vegetables and nuts to SCO member states in the first seven months, up 37.1 percent year on year, local customs data shows.

Every day, long lines of refrigerated trucks roll through Horgos Port via the China-Kazakhstan "green lane" for agricultural goods. The expedited channel allows produce to clear customs within 24 hours.

Yu Chengzhong, chairman of Horgos-based Jin Yi Group, said his company signed contracts to sell 50,000 tonnes of fruit across Central Asia and Russia this year.

"We now export over 50 truckloads of fruit and vegetables daily, or more than 1,000 tonnes," Yu said, adding that from January to July, the company had exported 150,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, generating a trade value exceeding 1.8 billion yuan (about 253.4 million U.S. dollars).

"Growing high-quality fruit and seeing them sold abroad makes me truly proud," said Xu Zhichun, a local fruit grower. "We've been busy picking and packaging the fruit every day recently to prepare for shipments to Kazakhstan."

Xu added that she saw a 70 percent increase in export orders, as August is the peak season for harvesting local specialty fruit.

Rising purchasing power and a growing appetite for diverse produce are driving increased imports of Chinese fruit among SCO member states. As improved transport links and cold-chain logistics across Central Asia continue to enhance delivery efficiency, demand for Chinese fruit is expected to remain high.