On December 3rd, eight containers of Korla pears from Xinjiang reached Qingdao after a five-day journey in refrigerated train transport. Upon arrival they were welcomed with banners at the Dongfang Dingxin International Farm and Sideline Products Trading Center. This was the first time that Shandong has selected refrigerated train transport for Korla pears.
Dongfang Dingxin and the railway department in Korla, Xinjiang, reached an agreement that lowered the price of train transport to 30% below regular prices. That is around 40% below regular prices of highway transport. After Korla pears enter the market it is estimated that the average price per 0.5 kg could drop to around 0.5 yuan [0.08 USD]. The use of refrigerated transport for the entire journey guarantees high efficiency in keeping the fruit fresh.
Source: Qingdao Finance and Economics Daily