Chongqing- Zhu Shiping, a researcher at the Citrus Research Institute of Southwest University, recently packed bags of citrus seeds and watched them loaded onto trucks to start their export journey.

"This is the first export of citrus seeds in Chongqing," said Zhu. This batch of citrus seeds exported from Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality for the first time is bound for Zimbabwe by air, bringing bountiful harvest and sweetness to the people there.

The Citrus Research Institute of Southwest University mainly breeds citrus seeds, where the seed breeding base has realized the planting standardization.

The exported seeds are produced in strict accordance with the requirements of Zimbabwe. After passing the quarantine inspection of the Chongqing Lianglu Cuntan Customs District, the 200 kilograms of citrus rootstock seeds will soon be exported.

"Our institute has technical and various advantages in the research of citrus varieties, virus-free seedling breeding, citrus production management, pest control, storage and processing, and other aspects of the whole industry chain of citrus," said Zhu.

"After taking the first step, we will continue to develop our international customers," he continued. "At present, we have received cooperation intentions with many countries in South America. It is expected that many batches of seeds will be exported this year."

In fact, it is never easy for seed to "go abroad."

In international trade, countries generally have stricter requirements on seed imports. Once a prohibited pest is detected, not only will the whole batch of goods be returned or destroyed, but also the export of the whole industry will be affected by the restriction of access standards.

To this end, Lianglu Cuntan Customs has tightened the supervision on the control of pests in the process of seed breeding, focused on key links, and went to the seed breeding base of citrus research institute multiple times to check the quality of seeds. They opened up a green channel to inspect and release the certificate for this batch of citrus seeds.

"We actively help enterprises improve their quality management systems, pay close attention to changes in foreign pest control regulations, and work with the Citrus Research Institute to enhance the competitiveness of export seedlings," said Huang Wei, chief of the inspection department of Lianglu Cuntan Customs.

"Next, we will continue to make every effort to optimize the customs clearance process, optimize service measures, enhance the business environment, and ensure that the growth rate and benefit of Chongqing citrus seed exports will boom," said Huang.

(Wang Lu, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)