Fresh Peruvian bananas made their long-awaited debut in the Chinese market, as the first-ever shipment totaling 19.6 tons arrived via the Chancay-Shanghai shipping route and cleared customs at Yangshan Port on Wednesday, marking a milestone in bilateral agricultural trade.
Opened in late 2024, the route cut sea transit time between China and Peru from 35 to 40 days to just 23 days, reducing logistics costs by more than 20 percent.
"The entire process from entry declaration, on-site inspection, and result assessment to customs clearance is streamlined to minimize clearance time while building a strong security barrier to ensure South American fresh fruits enter the market," said Yu Tianhua, head of the inspection section at Yangshan Customs.
"This batch of bananas came from Peru through the Chancay Port, with a transit time of approximately three weeks. This is indeed faster than other fruits such as Ecuadorian bananas, which take almost a month. The Peruvian bananas entered China tariff-free, which reduces costs for businesses," said customs broker Yan Bin.
The Chancay Port in Peru, a flagship Belt and Road cooperation project between China and Peru, has been a key driver of trade growth. According to Shanghai Customs statistics, the Chancay-Shanghai route handled a cumulative import-export value of 3.35 billion yuan (approximately 470 million U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of this year, a year-on-year surge of 44.7 percent.
Driven by the route's efficiency, Shanghai's total trade value with Peru during the January-July period jumped 31.1 percent from the same period last year, customs data showed.
Peruvian bananas make historic debut in China via Chancay-Shanghai shipping route
