The Changsha Customs announced at the event that, Hunan's food imports and exports amounted to 38.55 billion yuan in 2021, increasing by 19.3% over the previous year. Between January and August this year, the figure rose to 28 billion yuan with a year-on-year growth of 6.5%, among which food exports reached 8.39 billion yuan, up 41.5%.

 

Hunan's specialty food began to be exported, or to enter new overseas markets. In the first eight months, Hunan tea greeted a broader international market.

 

For the first time, Changde's green tea was exported to Chad in Africa for the first time, and Anhua dark tea exported to the Kingdom of Bhutan for the first time. Camellia oil was added into the list of imported and exported commodities since January 1, 2022.

 

In the first 8 months, Hengyang had exported 24 tons of camellia oil. Precooked crayfish were popular around the world. From January to August, Hunan exported crayfish products worth about 80 million yuan, increasing by 6.6% year on year.  

 

More quality food from ASEAN and African countries made their way onto the plates of Hunan people. On September 9, Hunan's first batch of African raw coffee beans imported via direct flight entered the market after completing customs clearance, and would be sold to domestic coffee plants and cafes. On July 7, the first Ho Chi Minh-Huaihua cold chain fruits freight train arrived in Huaihua, importing 230 tons of Vietnam's dragon fruits, and opening a fast track for ASEAN's fruits to enter the inland provinces of China.

 

Statistics showed that, Hunan Province mainly imports dairy and meat products while exporting vegetables and tea. As of now, there are 763 registered food importers provincewide, among which 135 were newly added this year; and, 490 food exporters, among which 71 were newly-added.

 

Between January and August this year, the Changsha Customs had made efforts to firmly stick to the bottom line of ensuring food safety, and expand food export markets. For instance, it organized sampling inspections for 209 batches of imported food; set up green channels for fresh and perishable food inspection; and, shortened the handling time for food export company registration from 5 to 3 workdays.