The China-Laos Railway has transported over 130,000 tons of imported fruits accumulatively this year.

On June 5th, reporters learned from China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd. that from January 1st to June 4th this year, the China-Laos Railway has transported over 130,000 tons of imported fruits in total, a year-on-year increase of over 40%. Among them, the import volume of durians exceeded 120,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of over 56%.

A train loaded with fruits from Southeast Asian countries is running on the China-Laos Railway. (Photo by Luo Yang)

Since the beginning of this year, the demand for exporting tropical fruits such as durians, bananas, and mangosteens from Southeast Asian countries to China has continued to be strong. Since April, tropical fruits in Southeast Asia have been in peak season, and the daily import volume of fruits transported by the China-Laos Railway has reached a maximum of 3,941 tons.

Staff members are inspecting the containers filled with fruits from Southeast Asian countries. (Photo by Lu Bin)

To ensure that fruits from Southeast Asian countries reach Chinese consumers fresh, the Chinese railway department, in conjunction with customs and relevant enterprises, has opened a green channel for fresh produce inspection. They implement priority entry, priority inspection, and priority sample submission to ensure “zero waiting” for fresh fruit transportation and significantly reduce the stay time of fruits at the port.

Durians from Southeast Asian countries. (Photo by Liu Weitao)

According to the relevant person in charge of China Railway Kunming Bureau, the full-rail cold-chain special train between China, Laos, and Thailand has now achieved regular operation. Tropical fruits from Southeast Asia can reach the Chinese market in as fast as 3 days. As durians from Southeast Asian countries continue to enter the Chinese market, the price of durians in the Chinese market has dropped significantly compared to the beginning of the year.

Source: Xinhua News Agency