Why has the fruit and vegetable export volume through the Jeminay port in Xinjiang skyrocketed?

Export volume increased nearly 9 times year-on-year——

How the Export Volume of Fruits and Vegetables at the Xinjiang Jimunai Port Soared

Reporter: Zhao Minghao, Huang Xiaoyi, Yao Kun

On March 26, good news came from the Xinjiang Jimunai Port: from January to February this year, the port exported 4,100.4 tons of fruits and vegetables, a year-on-year increase of 888%, and the number of export companies increased from 70 last year to 140.

“Our company’s export volume has increased by more than 500% compared to the first two months of last year, and many friends have started to choose to do export business.” Dai Haigang, general manager of Xinjiang Anda Logistics Co., Ltd., expressed his feelings, “A few years ago, I suggested to many friends who were engaged in fruits and vegetables to try selling their goods abroad. Everyone waved their hands in response, fearing that transportation time wouldn’t be guaranteed, and the fruits would rot on the way; they also worried about not understanding foreign rules, ending up with wasted efforts and possible losses.”

How to address these concerns? “Companies are afraid of not understanding the rules, so we make them a ‘policy handbook’,” said Yan Chen, a customs officer in the supervision department of Jimunai Customs. One of his job responsibilities is to track and interpret foreign regulations in a timely manner. “We organize briefing sessions as soon as we get crucial information, like the latest plant quarantine resolutions from the Eurasian Economic Union and specific import requirements from Kazakhstan, or we go directly to the companies to explain clearly in a ‘point-to-point’ manner, ensuring that their submitted documents and preparations are compliant and up to standard,” Yan Chen said.

Once the rules are clarified, the more pressing issue is the transportation challenge that races against time. Fruits and vegetables are perishable and have high requirements for customs clearance efficiency. “All our processes revolve around the two words ‘fast’ and ‘fresh’,” Yan Chen introduced. The port has set up a fast customs clearance “green channel” for agricultural products, implementing 24-hour appointment customs clearance. “Many truck drivers know that even if they arrive at the port in the middle of the night, just a phone call will have our customs officers come out immediately to inspect and release the goods, truly achieving ‘process upon arrival, leave immediately once done’.”

Efficient customs clearance relies on hardware support. The port has promoted several logistics and warehousing companies to upgrade their facilities. “In the past, our cold storage had significant temperature fluctuations, and we were always uneasy about that,” said a warehouse manager. “Customs personnel came to guide us and helped us rectify according to standards. Now it’s better; from storage to delivery, key indicators such as temperature and pest monitoring are stable and compliant, so customers can trust us with their goods.”

“Now it feels completely different,” said Qu Xiaoling, manager of Xinjiang Jiangnan International Trade Co., Ltd. “The time taken from vehicle entry to completing the procedures for exiting has been greatly shortened. Our delicate fruits like citrus and pomelo have better quality assurance, and losses have decreased.” She revealed that thanks to smooth customs clearance and stable expectations, the number of orders passing through Jimunai Port has been increasing, giving them more confidence to expand into the Central Asian market.

Dai Haigang’s observations confirm this change through the logistics chain: “Now many customers adopt the ‘overseas warehouse’ model, first sending large batches of goods to big warehouses in places like Novosibirsk, Russia, and then distributing them to surrounding areas based on orders. This model particularly relies on stable and predictable customs clearance.”

From initial hesitation to now having increased confidence, port enterprises and customs are working together to help Xinjiang’s fruits and vegetables “go” further.

《Guangming Daily》（March 30, 2026, Page 10）

Source: Guangming Online - 《Guangming Daily》