Piles of Dushan navel oranges are ready for export. [Photo/Official website of Guiyang FTZ]
The first batch of 25,500 kilograms of Dushan navel oranges departed from Guiyang Free Trade Zone (Guiyang FTZ) for the Middle East on Jan 16. Exports are projected to reach 500 metric tons in the first quarter of 2026, boosting incomes for 120 local farmers.
This year, with support from various platforms and enterprises within Guiyang FTZ, more high-quality products from Guizhou are expected to reach broader international markets.
Inside the production workshop of Guizhou Wanhui International Trade Co, stacks of navel oranges rise four to five meters high. Each fruit weighs between 150 and 350 grams and has a smooth, orange-red rind. These oranges, destined for the Middle East, are grown in Xindong village, Dushan county, Southwest China's Guizhou province.
The 200-hectare navel orange orchard in Xindong lies in a transitional zone between plateau and hills, benefiting from a humid subtropical monsoon climate that creates ideal conditions for orange growth and quality.
Last November, the trees began bearing fruit, and by December, farmers were entering the orchards daily before dawn to pick oranges and load them onto trucks.
As Guizhou's hub for opening-up, Guiyang FTZ has established platforms like the Guizhou International Cargo Gathering and Consolidation Center and comprehensive foreign trade service platforms. Together with measures such as port-city cooperation and customs facilitation by Zhucheng Customs, these initiatives have accelerated and upgraded the export process.
"The one-stop service has provided convenience for the company, cutting transportation time by one to two days and lowering costs by 10 percent," said Wu Longhua, general manager of Guizhou Wanhui International Trade Co.