As the first port in Guangxi dedicated to fruit imports, Fangchenggang welcomed its first batch of imported fruits on June 22.

The first container of fruits imported from Thailand by marine transport reaches Fangchenggang port and is loaded into a truck on June 22. [Photo by Hou Dongguang/fcgsnews.com]

The fruits were imported from Thailand and including 38 tons of durian and 48 tons of mangosteen. According to the fruit purchaser, Mr Meng, each container of imported fruit can save him 20,000 yuan ($3,222) by maritime transportation, compared with overland transportation.

Fangchenggang was approved as an appointed fruit import port by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in April, becoming the only one of its kind in Guangxi at present.

The port has opened up several international container marine routes, reaching cities such as Haiphong in Vietnam, Busan in Korea and Tokyo in Japan.

Fangchenggang has commercial connections with over 220 ports in more than 80 countries and regions. It benefits from convenient cross-border links, a larger storage platform and more professional supporting services, compared with land border ports. With comprehensive port infrastructure and a fruit trading market, Fangchenggang port can guarantee the quality of imported fruits throughout their storage and transportation processes. It can also satisfy the consumption demand of different groups of people.

According to He Jiayuan, general manager assistant of Fangchenggang Container Corporation, there is a good market in Guangxi for fruits from ASEAN countries, thanks to the continual deepening of agricultural cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in recent years.

Data from Nanning customs showed that ports in Guangxi imported and exported a total of 359,000 tons of fruits in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 8.7 percent compared with the same period last year, becoming China’s largest fruit import and export portal.

He also said that Fangchenggang will give full play to its advantages of port location and comprehensive logistics costs to expand fruit imports from ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, and other ones like Chile, South Africa and the United States. It will satisfy the demand for fresh fruit in Guangxi and Southwest China.