China's northwestern province of Shaanxi, the leading apple-planting province in the country, plans to export more "green" apples, or apples grown without the use of chemicals.

Statistics from the Shaanxi fruit department show that the province exports 600,000 tons of "green" apples a year. And the province has now developed a total of 53,000 hectares of "green" apples, having acquired the national green food certificate in 2001 from the China Green Food Development Center.

Shaanxi's apple orchards are situated in the Weibei plateau region, a world-class favorite cultivation land for apples.

Shaanxi produces 4 million tons of apples annually with a total planting area of over 367,000 hectares.

The provincial fruit department said that owing to favorable natural conditions, apples grown in the province have very good quality. With an eco-friendly way of cultivation, such as no use of chemical fertilizer and noxious pesticides, apples produced in the province sell well in the international market and the province is extending its green way of cultivation to increase annual production in the whole province.