Taizhou Customs officers inspect the citrus before they head off to Canada. [Photo/Tide News]

Linhai, a county-level city in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, sent 52 metric tons of locally grown citrus to Canada after passing inspection by Taizhou Customs on Sept 19, marking the first citrus export from Zhejiang this year.

At the Yongfeng Xianguo Cooperative in Linhai, workers were busy selecting, weighing and packing the fruit under strict standards to ensure its export quality.

All the citrus came from standardized orchards in Linhai, known for their balanced sweet-and-sour flavor and appealing shape. The shipment is expected to reach Canada after a 20-day voyage and soon appear in supermarkets and fruit markets.

To keep the fruit fresh during the long-distance transport, the cooperative adopted early harvesting and full cold-chain delivery.

Preservation techniques were also applied to maintain skin quality and to ensure the citrus remained juicy and crisp for overseas consumers.

Taizhou Customs supported the export with full inspection and sampling, checking for appearance and pests. A fast-track channel was then opened for perishable produce, enabling an immediate inspection and release to shorten the clearance time.

With measures such as digital certificate issuances, Linhai's citrus is expected to reach Canadian shelves more quickly, offering local consumers a fresh taste of fruit from East China.