Chinese growers aim to expand export of freshly picked waxberries

Chinese growers are planning to expand the export of fresh waxberries harvested in east China's Zhejiang Province to more countries in addition to current marketplaces in Europe and Southeast Asia this year.

The waxberries grew in greenhouses in Zhejiang's Qingtian County were picked in the early morning of Sunday before loaded to refrigerated vehicles and transported to a local intensive processing and storage park for sorting and packaging, then sent to Pudong Airport in neighboring Shanghai for flight to European marketplaces including Madrid.

"This shipment consists of a total of 450 boxes of waxberries for export to for Spain. They were picked in the morning, packaged in the factory in the afternoon, and shipped to Shanghai in the evening, and should be able to arrive in Madrid in 24 hours," said Xia Xiaoqing, an employee of a local trade company.

The waxberry is popular throughout China for its taste and nutritive value. This versatile fruit is also plugged as the next big "super fruit" due to its high content of antioxidants.

But the fruit has a short shelf life and is difficult to store. Therefore, producers in Qingtian County have adopted a new anti-atomization cold chain packaging to keep the freshness during long-distance shipment.

According to local culture and tourism authorities, the Qingtian waxberries are now able to reach 146 cities across China via high-speed trains and cargo flights, and can even arrive in 19 Chinese cities on the day of picking.

The Qingtian waxberries have also reached consumers in Europe and Southeast Asia. In 2023, Qingtian County exported more than 20 tons of waxberries, with a sales volume of 370,000 euros.

The waxberry growers are planning to further expand the export and let their high-quality fruits enter more overseas markets.

"We will export them to more countries this year, like Britain, France, plus Singapore and Indonesia. So, the sales volume of this year is likely to double that of last year," Xia said.

Chinese growers aim to expand export of freshly picked waxberries

The 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition introduced a low-altitude economy pavilion for the first time, attracting more than 40 companies from home and abroad to show their ingenious products such as multifunctional drones and flying cars.

The pavilion features both manned and unmanned aerial vehicles designed for diverse purposes.

"Our unmanned passenger aircraft is designed for a trail of different scenarios which include aerial tourism, urban sightseeing, traffic transfers, air commuting, logistics and emergency rescue operations," said He Tianxing, an exhibitor.

Several new unmanned cargo drones also wowed spectators at the event, drawing significant attention.

Among them was a vertical takeoff and landing low-altitude passenger aircraft. Equipped with eight rotors, it functions like an aerial taxi, capable of carrying one pilot and four passengers.

"Our drone has a range of up to 200 kilometers and more importantly, it is pure electric," said exhibitor Fei Lan.

Flying cars also prove to be a big draw at the air show.

One standout model, which has already completed a public test flight, boasts an innovative design: its trunk is able to house a drone.

The event, also known as Airshow China, is the largest air show in the country. It started on Nov 12 and concluded on Sunday in Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province.

Zhuhai Airshow spotlights multifunctional drones, flying cars