URUMQI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Fresh farm produce from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and other provinces now are more quickly served on the dinner table of families in Central Asia, thanks to optimized customs services.
Value of the trade of agricultural products via Urumqi Customs reached 661 million yuan (96.7 million U.S. dollars) in the first ten months, up 7.95 percent year-on-year, according to figures released by Urumqi Customs.
The main exports of agricultural products included apples, peaches, citrus fruits, peppers, and tomatoes. The export growth of ketchup reached 12.8 percent year-on-year during the period.
Horgos Highway Port is one of China's most important distributing centers exporting fruit and vegetables to Central Asia. Wei Chunguang, a customs official, said that agricultural goods from Xinjiang and other Chinese provinces could reach markets in Central Asian countries as quickly as in one day via the Port.
"With the new highway port being put into use this year, the average customs clearance time has been shortened from four hours to two hours," Wei said.
Other land customs including Buktu Pass, Karasu Pass, Turgat Pass and Irkeshtan Pass bordering with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and other Central Asian countries, can also offer efficient customs clearance service to ensure fresh farm produce go through in two hours.
Xinjiang has 13 national demonstration zones to guide farmers to grow high-quality farm produce that meet the criteria for exports. The region has 19 registered vegetable planting bases, 120 orchards and 40 fruit package factories with licenses for farm produce exports.
