Taizhou Customs examine the quality of mandarin oranges at the Zhejiang Yongfeng Fresh Fruit Cooperative in Linhai, a county-level city in Taizhou. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001]

Twenty metric tons of mandarin oranges were exported from Linhai, a county-level city in Taizhou, to Canada on Sept 21, marking the start of this year's mandarin orange exports from East China's Zhejiang province.

The oranges, valued at $30,000 and packed in 7,832 boxes, left Ningbo, a port city in Zhejiang, for Canada following rigorous inspection and quarantine procedures by Taizhou Customs. The shipment is expected to reach its destination in 20 days.

This initial export is the first of many orders that will be fulfilled by the Zhejiang Yongfeng Fresh Fruit Cooperative for their Canadian clients. So far, the cooperative has received orders totaling $800,000 for 750 tons of mandarin oranges from the country.

Meng Huanhong, general manager of Zhejiang Yongfeng Fresh Fruit Cooperative, disclosed that this year's delivery time is one month earlier compared to previous years. Additionally, the price has remained stable at around 6 yuan (82 cents) per kilogram. The cooperative has already received twice the number of orders compared to the same period in previous years, with more expected in the coming days.

Tao Zijian, an official at the Linhai office of Taizhou Customs, shares Meng's view that mandarin orange exports from the city will witness a significant increase this year based on preliminary assessments.

To ensure the quality and freshness of the fruit during export, local customs authorities have implemented various measures, including the creation of green export channels, according to Tao.