Imported durians pass customs clearance at Ordos airport on Jan 11. [Photo/Nuan News]

On the evening of Jan 11, a chartered plane carrying 18 metric tons of durians traveled from Thailand to the city of Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

After unloading at the Ordos aviation port, the fruits were inspected by Ordos customs and then transported to the designated supervision site for imported fruits, edible aquatic animals, and fresh aquatic products. This marked the official launch of the site.

Previously, imported fruits, edible aquatic animals, and fresh aquatic products circulating in the Hohhot, Baotou, Wuhai, Ordos and Yulin had to first travel through Beijing, Shanghai, and other places, leading to issues such as long shipping times, high costs, lack of freshness, and limited variety.

To change this situation, the designated supervision site for imported fruits, edible aquatic animals, and fresh aquatic products at the Ordos aviation port obtained approval from the General Administration of Customs in November 2019 and was completed in December 2020.

Imported durians are unloaded from a cargo plane from Thailand at Ordos airport on Jan 11. [Photo/Nuan News]

It has a total area of approximately 6,430 square meters and was designed to handle an annual throughput of about 4,500 tons of goods. In July 2023, it was formally accepted by the General Administration of Customs.

Following the official launch of the site, fresh aquatic products, fruits and aquatic products can now be transported directly from overseas to Ordos, which is an inland city.

They can then be distributed to major markets across the city within 2 hours and to neighboring cities within 3 to 4 hours, providing the general public with fresh, high-quality, and reasonably priced seafood and fruit products.