Tourists pick grapes at the 12th grape festival in Pujiang county in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province, on Aug 8. The vine cultivation area in Pujiang reached 4,467 hectares this year, with an expected annual output value of more than 1.1 billion yuan ($156.82 million). [Photo/zjnews.zjol.com]

As the 12th grape festival kicked off recently in Pujiang county in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province, a very significant event took place as exports of the local sweet fruit began to the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East for the first time.

The Pujiang grape has seen its overseas markets expanded fast in recent years. It entered the Singaporean market in 2017, with the price reaching as high as 144 yuan ($20.53) per kilo. Last year, the fruit expanded its market to South Korea and Malaysia.

Statistics from Hangzhou Customs show that Jinhua's grape exports grew from 1.82 million yuan in 2017 to 5.16 million yuan in 2018, an increase of 183.9 percent.

To help Pujiang grapes go global, Jinhua Customs has taken many measures such as supporting the building of an agricultural product export base in Pujiang, guiding local companies to tackle the trade barriers of overseas countries and facilitating the customs clearances of export goods.

A quality and safety risk management system was also established to guarantee the quality of local grapes.