How hard is it for a fresh lychee to travel from an orchard in southern China to the United States? The journey is a race against time, necessitating a strict cold-chain and quarantine requirements. June 2 marked the commencement of the agricultural export season in Yangdong District, Yangjiang, with premium local Feizixiao (妃子笑) lychees shipped to the U.S. and Singapore for the first time.
Meeting U.S. export requirements is demanding. From picking to entry into the pre-cooling warehouse, farmers and technicians have less than two hours to preserve the fruit's freshness. During shipping, customs officers place special temperature probes to ensure the fruit's core temperature remains precisely between 0 and 0.99°C for at least 18 days.
"Simply put, every lychee exported from here now has its own 'ID card' and can be traced throughout the process to meet high international standards," said Chen Kailin, head of the Guangdong Zhongli Fruit Export Packaging Plant (广东众荔出境水果包装厂).
Yangdong has a history of lychee cultivation spanning more than 700 years. This year, the district expects a harvest of 46,500 tons. To help local growers tap into overseas markets, Yangjiang has built its first specialized fruit export facility, which has secured U.S. FDA certification.
Looking ahead, the export base plans to ship more than 10,000 tons of local fruit each year, including longans and passion fruits, to nearly 20 countries worldwide. The initiative is expected to raise the value of local fruit by 20% and help more than 500 farming households increase their income.
Author | Dong Han
Photo | Nanfang Plus
