A close look at apricots from Aral, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

About 200 metric tons of apricots produced from Aral, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will soon be available in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, local authorities recently announced.

Xianguobaba, a local fruit chain store, has ordered 250 kilograms and will put them on the shelves of 13 shops in Luqiao and Jiaojiang district on a trial run basis.

According to deputy general manager Li Kangde, the company might buy more of the fruit depending on the result of the trial.

This is the second time Taizhou is selling Aral apricots. The first time saw more than 800,000 tons of apricots worth over 3 million yuan ($461,538) sold in a month.

This year, 100 boxes of apricots will be also donated to students from Aral who are studying at Taizhou No 1 Middle School.

Taizhou has since 2010 been paired with Aral under the east-west program for poverty relief by the central government.

Last year, the city launched two online shopping festivals to sell agricultural and other types of products from Aral. The events allowed local customers to purchase Xinjiang specialties, including apples, pears, dates, walnuts, and rice, at prices that are much lower than the market rate.

Aral produces more than 300,000 tons of lint cotton and 1.6 million tons of fruit annually.