Chongqing- On April 12, a cold-chain truck loaded with Rongchang blood oranges, a kind of citrus fruit, departed from Macao Village, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, and will arrive in Singapore in six days. Through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC), this batch of products will be exported to Singapore via Qingzhou, Guangxi, in South China.
On April 12, a cold-chain truck loaded with Rongchang blood oranges departed from Macao Village, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, heading for Singapore. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
Rongchang blood orange
The blood orange is a variety of citrus with crimson, almost blood-colored flesh. It is grown in many parts of China in large volumes, but Chongqing, Sichuan, and Guangxi are the main production areas.
Situated at the border of Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality, Rongchang District is a virtual node of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor as it is one of the golden connection points of the Chengdu-Chongqing central axis.
With more than 20,000 mu planting area, the Rongchang blood orange is a significant product in the Rongchang District, Chongqing.
According to the Chongqing Zhaohong Agricultural Development Co. Ltd., in the past, blood oranges were shipped by bulk trucks to coastal ports, during which they were changed, loaded, and unloaded several times suffering certain damage to the goods.
But this time, the export channels of Rongchang blood oranges are more convenient due to the ILSTC, as the goods are only needed to load and unload one time in the route, which reduces the loss of goods and saves the loading cost.
After improving the fruit's quality through standardized planting, it has been successfully exported to Thailand, Indonesia, the Maldives, and other counties or regions, becoming an essential source of income for local farmers.
The products of Rongchang blood oranges. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
The distribution center of ILSTC
At the export ceremony, the New Land-Sea Corridor Operation Co., Ltd. and Rongchang District People's Government signed the strategic cooperation agreement to develop the Rongchang distribution center of ILSTC, deepening the trade contacts with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries.
Also, the cooperation with Chongqing Zhaohong Agriculture Co., Ltd was achieved during the ceremony. Once the 3,000-ton Rongchang blood orange export agreement is established, it offers a convenient, comprehensive logistics service for the agricultural product.
The export of Rongchang blood oranges is crucial for ILSTC to serve rural revitalization and help Chongqing agricultural products go global.
In the next step, the ILSTC will continue to play the platform's advantages to strengthen the logistics services, serving the economic development of the regions along the route.