A flight from Thailand carrying 600 kg of durians and pineapples landed on Changsha Huanghua International Airport around 09:30 on June 4th, 2019. This was the first fruit directly imported from abroad into Hunan. The fruit passed through customs and quarantine inspection at the airport before being distributed to supermarkets and fruit stores in Changsha.
A spokesperson for Hunan Fresh Flavor Arrived Trading Co., Ltd. explained that the company previously imported fruit from Thailand through Guangzhou airport. The fruit reached Hunan by refrigerated train and was then packaged for distribution to stores. This took one week altogether. Direct import through Huanghua International Airport only takes one or two days. This means that the fruit will be fresher.
The spokesperson further stated that direct import simplifies the transport process and shortens the transport time. This keeps the cost of refrigerated transport, storage, and labor low. The retail price of imported fruit dropped by around 10% in comparison with the fruit imported through Guangzhou. Some fruit varieties suffer more damage during transport than others. The price of such fruits as mangosteen, pineapples, and mangoes dropped by as much as 20% or even 30%.
Source: Chinanews.com