A cargo aircraft carrying 800 kilograms of pineapples from Manila, capital of the Philippines, arrived at Yiwu Airport in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang province on April 20.

This was the county-level city's first import of fruits through direct flight from the place of origin. 

The import agent plans to bring more mangos and coconuts from the Philippines to the city using the same mode in the near future.

Yiwu's fruit market has in recent years seen a rapid growth in imports, particularly tropical and sub-tropical fruits from Southeast Asia.

Previously, imported fruits in Yiwu came from designated ports and enterprises in coastal cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Ningbo, which entailed a significant cost and compromised freshness. To address the issue, Yiwu established a dedicated site for the supervision of imported fruits.

Equipped with a 1,000-square-meter testing ground, a 2,000-sq-m fumigation ground, and a 300-cubic-meter refrigerating space, the site passed its inspection by the General Administration of Customs in September 2019.

Imported fruits can now be directly transported from the foreign place of origin to the aforementioned site with less administrative hassle and in a shorter time, thus reducing the prices consumers have to pay.

A cargo aircraft carrying 800-kilogram pineapples from Manila arrives at Yiwu Airport in on April 20. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]