In the spring season, fruit farmers in Tianshui City, Gansu Province are thinning flowers and fruits in apple orchards to ensure quality, while medicinal herbs like astragalus and codonopsis are sprouting from the soil in Longnan City's planting bases. With the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative and the continued benefits of RCEP policies, these distinctive agricultural products are increasingly entering international markets, supported by precise services from Lanzhou Customs.
Since the beginning of this year, Lanzhou Customs has focused on addressing challenges in agricultural exports to help local products expand markets and maintain stable growth. Statistics show that Gansu Province's agricultural exports reached 1 billion yuan in the first quarter, an 11% year-on-year increase.
The journey of Tianshui apples, known for their high sugar content and firm flesh, exemplifies this progress. As a key raw material for concentrated apple juice, these fruits have gained international demand. To help juice exporters navigate rapidly changing overseas regulations, Tianshui Customs established a direct policy communication platform, offering real-time updates on trade policies and compliance training. Companies have also received guidance on streamlining export declarations and improving traceability systems.
"Smart review of certificates of origin, self-service printing, and 24/7 customs clearance have cut our processing time by more than half," said Cui Ming, a representative of Tianshui Great Wall Juice Group Co., Ltd. "Last year’s RCEP training helped us utilize cumulative rules of origin, significantly reducing tariffs." Supported by these measures, Tianshui apple juice now reaches over 30 countries and regions, boosting incomes for more than 100,000 local farmers.
Meanwhile, Longnan, renowned as a "land of medicinal herbs for millennia," is expanding its global footprint. Lanzhou Customs has implemented an early warning system for international technical trade measures, providing timely updates on market access requirements and regular enterprise training.
"International standards change quickly, but customs alerts and professional guidance help us avoid losses from non-compliant shipments," said Zhe Jianjun of Longnan Dangchang Yicantang Co., Ltd. By combining source control with full-process supervision, customs officials conduct field training on cultivation techniques, pesticide use, and quality management. Companies are assisted in setting up registered planting bases and end-to-end traceability systems.
Streamlined procedures such as batch inspection and on-demand inspection further accelerate clearance. "Goods can be released on the same day they are declared, greatly reducing logistics costs," added Zhe. Longnan's medicinal herbs are now exported to more than 20 countries and regions, including ASEAN members, Japan, and South Korea, with volumes continuing to grow.
Lanzhou Customs has pledged to further optimize supervision and services, address enterprise needs, and overcome export barriers to help more Gansu specialty agricultural products access global markets.
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