Wanzai decks Macao in flowers via Gongbei Port

About two tons of bouquets from Wanzai, "the flower town," passed inspection at Gongbei Checkpoint early in the morning on New Year's Day before being taken to adorn Macao for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

The 20 species of fresh roses, lilies, carnations, and chrysanthemums, loaded in 80 cases, were valued at HK $80,000 ($10,236).

For a hundred years, Wanzai growers have been selling fragrant blooms to Macao and now contribute 70 percent of the flower supply to that market. Previously the flowers were cleared at Wanzai Checkpoint, which closed in January 2016. Last year, vessels laden with bouquets and a thousand Wanzai farmers crossed the Haojiang River to Macao from Wanzai Wharf. But then, last August, Typhoon Hato badly damaged the wharfs and other facilities in Wanzai.

In the interim, Gongbei Port has been expanded in size and capabilities, allowing for more passages, quicker times, and greater efficiency. The process of handling the flowers, from customs declaration to release, took Zhakou Customs, an affiliate of Gongbei Customs, less than 20 minutes – all finished by 7:15 am.

First-batch of flowers inspected [Photo by Li Yanqing to Zhuhai Daily]

The channel provided by Gongbei Checkpoint to deal with fresh and live goods now opens earlier than before, starting at 6 o'clock in the morning. This clears the way for all flowers from the Chinese mainland to be exported to Macao via Gongbei Port from now on.