People select waxberries in a workshop in Xianju county, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Thirty boxes of Dongkui waxberries produced in Xianju county, Taizhou were exported to Singapore by air on June 13, marking the first time this year that the local specialty fruit has been sent overseas.

The 384-kilogram shipment, produced by Xiandai Agriculture Development Co Ltd, was valued at 60,000 yuan ($8,377.08). Taizhou Customs inspected and quarantined the waxberries before they were loaded onto a container truck bound for Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.

"The weather this year is generally suitable for growing waxberries, with the yield and quality having improved. The orders we have received this year are more than double that of last year," said Hu Yujie, an employee at Xiandai Agriculture Development Co Ltd.

Known as China's "Hometown of Waxberries", Xianju is famous for its high-quality waxberry production. The delicate fruit has strict transportation and storage requirements, with the harvest season featuring high temperatures and humidity.

To maintain the freshness of exported waxberries, Li Botao, an official at Taizhou Customs, said that his department has provided on-site guidance to enterprises in establishing and improving quality management systems, carried out safety risk control plans with the department of agriculture and rural affairs, opened up green export channels, and promoted the cloud-based issuance of inspection and quarantine certificates.

Xiandai plans to expand its market beyond traditional markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. "We hope to break into the African market this year and give more overseas consumers the chance to sample Xianju waxberries," Hu said.