Rock Agossou showcases Benin pineapples at the 6th CIIE, Nov.8. 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Zhong Sheng)

Various fruits from across the world have entered the Chinese market via the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) which kicked off in Shanghai on Sunday.

Benin's pineapples enchanted attendees during their debut and let many Chinese learn more about the West African country. Known as "sugar bread", the pineapples were granted permission for import into China in September during Beninese President Athanase Guillaume Talon's visit to China.

Beninese exhibitor Rock Agossou, a student at Tongji University in Shanghai, recalled that when he first came to China six years ago, he could hardly find any products from Benin in the Chinese market.

"I never thought that one day Benin's product could make its debut at CIIE and become so welcomed," he said.

He believes that alongside pineapples, more and more products from Benin will break into the Chinese market via the CIIE and he is willing to contribute to the communication between the two countries.

Thanks to the air corridor resumed in 2021, more and more agricultural products from Afghanistan are also entering the Chinese market, such as raisins, dried figs, pine nuts, and pomegranates.

Ali Faiz, an Afghan merchant who has participated in the expo for a fourth time, said that benefiting from the newly implemented customs facilitation policies, 200 kilograms of Kandahar pomegranates have also made their way to the CIIE.

Joy Wing Mau, an enterprise focusing on the fruit industry, has chosen the 6th CIIE for the global debut of their new product of Peruvian blueberries. According to the exhibitor, blueberries are one of the main agricultural products exported from Peru and their sales in China have increased rapidly.

“Introducing Peruvian blueberries to China is a win-win choice,” the exhibitor said.

The originally economically less valuable Peruvian desert region has produced high-quality blueberries by employing advanced sustainable cultivation techniques. Additionally, more than 15,000 local Peruvian employees around the farm now have stable incomes.

"The CIIE provides a broader platform and more cooperative opportunities for global fruits into the Chinese market. Thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, China and the participating countries have seen more policy preferences and support in areas such as customs clearance, taxation, inspection, and quarantine," said a person in charge of the company.