Shanxi fruit trade fair looks to expand international cooperation

Buyers from home and abroad are seeking business cooperation in agricultural products at the 7th Shanxi (Yuncheng) International Fruit Trade Fair in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, which kicked off on Monday.

A total of 870 companies exhibited 2,590 products at the event. As an important platform for the export of agricultural products, the fair improves awareness of Shanxi fruit, increases the province's influence and brings opportunities overseas, organizers said.

Yuncheng has 164,000 hectares of fruit plantation, with an annual production of 5.99 million metric tons. The 174 kinds of fruit bring an output value of 23 billion yuan ($3.2 billion) annually. That includes strawberries, cherries, sweet apricots, grapes, peaches, nectarines, pears, kiwi fruits, jujubes, apples and persimmons.

Now the region exports fruit to 76 countries and regions around the world. It's annual export is about 300,000 tons.

The fair invited traders from countries such as Russia, Cambodia, Thailand and Kazakhstan, hoping to expand global trade. It also organized training sessions for export fruit companies and agricultural technology teaching.

Dumitru Braghis, the Moldovan Ambassador to China, said at the opening ceremony that there is great potential for his country to cooperate with China in agriculture, and he expects more cooperation in cold-chain infrastructure, technology and apple juice production.