More than 1,000 boxes of broccoli produced in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province were loaded onto refrigerated container trucks bound for Ningbo Port on Nov 16.

The Singapore-bound shipment of broccoli, which is valued at 80,000 yuan ($11,428) and has a total weight of 8.91 metric tons, is the first batch of broccoli exported from Taizhou this year. They are expected to arrive in Singapore after a 10-day journey.

According to Xu Liping, president of Taizhou Pterodactyl Green Farm Produce Co Ltd, the quality of exported broccoli is better than in previous years due to the dry weather conditions this year.

The company has since 2000 been selling broccoli grown by local farmers, and the overseas sales have helped increase the incomes of about 3,000 farmers.

It is estimated that farmers involved can earn about 6,000 yuan per mu (0.06 hectares) in annual income by planting broccoli, Xu said.

In addition, the company has expanded its portfolio to include dehydrated products, a move that has turned the vegetable's stems, leaves and buds - parts that are usually discarded - into components sold to countries including the United States, South Korea and Malaysia.

These dehydrated products have boosted the annual income of farmers by 1,000 yuan per mu.

Linhai, a county-level city in Taizhou where Taizhou Pterodactyl Green Farm Produce Co Ltd is based, is known for producing broccoli.

Preliminary data from Taizhou Customs show that exports of broccoli from Linhai this winter and next winter will hit 5,000 tons, higher than the same period in the previous year.