China is to export fragrant pears specially grown in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the United State -- after 13 years of negotiations.

Sources with the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (SAQSIQ) said on Thursday the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) had approved the exports.

The decision came after two U.S. experts examined orchards and packing factories in Xinjiang last month to ensure the Chinese quarantine system met the U.S. requirements.

China first applied to export fragrant pears to the U.S. in 1993, but not until last December did the two sides reach an agreement on quarantining the produce.

The fragrant pears are produced in Xinjiang's Korla City, which had 23,333 hectares of orchards last year with a yield of about 120,000 tons.

The pears are sold in major Chinese cities and exported to Canada, Australia and other countries that have strict quarantine requirements, contributing to 25 percent of the income for farmers in Korla.

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