The appetite for imported fruit in East China's Shanghai is soaring, driven by a bumper harvest in Southeast Asia and lower tariffs.

According to Shanghai Customs, the first four months of this year saw the value of imports of fresh and dried fruits and nuts hit 11.05 billion yuan ($1.53 billion) – a whopping 20.4 percent increase on the previous corresponding period.

A notable shipment included 16 metric tons of Thai mangosteens, quickly cleared through the city's Waigaoqiao Port.

Shanghai Customs officers conduct an inspection of Thai mangosteens. [Photo/eastday.com]

Shanghai, the nation's biggest distribution hub for imported consumer goods, handles about a quarter of China's total fruit and nut imports.

Since the inaugural China International Import Expo in 2018, over 70 new fruit varieties have entered China, with many passing through Shanghai first.

Waigaoqiao Port boasts 235 international trade routes. To expedite fruit imports, a new designated inspection site was established in February 2023, cutting clearance times by 25 percent.

Over 95 percent of these imports come from the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. In the first four months of this year, 392,000 tons of fresh fruit from these countries entered China via Waigaoqiao Port.

Additionally, with the durian season now in full swing, Thai durians are arriving in large quantities at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. In April alone, it handled 409.9 tons of fresh Thai durians, a 136 percent increase year-on-year.