Hainan lychees are currently in the peak harvesting season. It has been observed that export orders for Hainan lychees have been increasing this year. To accelerate their journey overseas, a coordinated "relay race" has been initiated right from the orchards.
At a lychee orchard in Sanmenpo Town, Haikou, harvesters move through the trees, carefully picking ripe fruit. Nearly 90% of the produce from this over-200-acre orchard is destined for export. To capture the fruit at its peak quality, workers have been busy for nearly ten hours daily from late April onwards.
Orchard manager Li Shanliang noted that a new sorting facility near the orchard became operational this year. Lychees now reach the sorting point for processing within an hour of picking, saving approximately 1.5 hours compared to before. Simultaneously, samples can be taken at the sorting point for immediate inspection. Cai Fudai, an inspector from the Sanmenpo Town Agricultural Service Center, explained that test results are available within 30 minutes. Once the data is uploaded to the provincial system, refrigerated trucks are dispatched to the Xinhaigang port upon receiving the information. After electronic documentation is processed, the shipment quickly departs the island.
Currently, a portion of Hainan's lychee exports are first transported to Guangdong for packaging before being shipped overseas via cargo vessels. Through a series of efficiency-enhancing "relay" steps—including pre-sorting, rapid inspection, and data interconnectivity—lychees from Haikou now complete the journey from tree to cargo ship in Shenzhen within an average of 24 hours.
Multiple Free Trade Port Facilitation Measures Aid Lychee Export Acceleration
According to Haikou Customs statistics, from the start of the lychee harvest to May 6th this year, Hainan exported a total of 110 batches of lychees, representing a year-on-year increase of nearly 40%. Despite recent high-temperature and drought conditions in Hainan, why have lychee exports managed to achieve such accelerated growth this year? Further observations provide insight.
At a packaging facility, qualified lychees are sorted by size using machinery. After being rinsed in pre-cooled water, they are moved into cold storage for subsequent packaging and storage. Orchard owner Zheng Xuezhi stated that his 400-acre orchard exports about 10% of its total yield, primarily to Italy and Canada. Having started the lychee export business two years ago, he has seen continuous expansion of Hainan's sea and air routes alongside the accelerated development of the Free Trade Port. To better tap into broader international markets, he plans to increase investment and scale up operations this year. "Next, we will invest in a new packaging plant to expand into markets like the UK, the US, and Australia," Zheng Xuezhi said.
To further enhance the efficiency of lychee exports, Haikou Customs has leveraged the Hainan International Trade Single Window to streamline the entire process for inspection and quarantine certificates for specialty agricultural products like lychees. This includes online application, review, and electronic issuance, forming a fully digital, closed-loop system with "cloud-issued" certificates. Furthermore, customs authorities guide farmers in完善ing a traceable and queryable chain covering the entire process from cultivation and production to harvesting, storage, and transportation, ensuring exported lychees meet quality standards from the source. Relevant Haikou Customs officials explained that they employ a combined model of document review and on-site inspection. For on-site checks, remote inspections can also be conducted, significantly reducing processing time. The comprehensive promotion of paperless processing for inspection and quarantine certificates has cut the overall inspection and certification timeline by over 70%.
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