Tianjin Customs officials examine imported Chilean cherries. [By Zhou Wei / for chinadaily.com.cn]
On Wednesday morning, the vessel Bach arrived at Tianjin Port, hauling over 2,500 tons of Chilean cherries. The arrival marked the first successful voyage of the Chile-Tianjin cherries express line, the first such route for bringing South American cherries to China.
This 20,000-kilometer route is the realization of an agreement made during the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation between China and Chile in October.
Following the route's launch, the average logistics and distribution time for each cherry container has been reduced by 30 hours, resulting in a 30 percent decrease in overall logistics costs, as reported by Tianjin Port.
This month, Tianjin Port anticipates the arrival of two shipments containing more than 5,800 tons of Chilean cherries and seasonal South American specialty products, which will be available in the northern region.
The ship Bach, carrying over 2,500 tons of Chilean cherries, arrives at the Tianjin Port on the morning of Jan 17. [Provided to chindadaily.com.cn]
The port also said these cherries could reach the market within five hours. Tianjin Port boasts the shortest and fastest channel directly connecting to the northern fruit market.
The import of Chilean cherries presents considerable logistical challenges to customs clearance convenience and port integration management, given the need for long-distance transport and cold storage.
After Customs clearance, the cherries are loaded onto trucks bound for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. [Provided to chindadaily.com.cn]
In response, Dongjiang Port Customs under Tianjin Customs has optimized its intelligent control system to improve customs clearance convenience, ensuring the efficiency of port collection and distribution.
According to China Customs, the total volume of imported fruits reached 7.8 million tons during the first 11 months of 2023, reaching a value of $17.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.41 percent and 18.44 percent, respectively.
Chile ranked third among the top 10 countries for China's imported fruits.
A cherry from a container aboard the ship Bach. [By Zhou Wei / for chinadaily.com.cn]
