A total of 710 boxes of fruit were imported to Pingtan on May 19, ptnet.cn reports.

Customer staff examine fruits imported from Taiwan. [Photo/ptnet.cn]

The fruit, including pineapples, guavas, mango and carambola,will be transported to Shanghai after quarantine measures, said Chen Mubin, manager of a Fujian-based trading company.

The company used to transfer Taiwan-imported fruit to Shanghai via Xiamen in southern Fujian, taking about 56 hours. Now by unloading the fruit in Pingtan, the time is slashed to only 30 hours while keeping the fruit fresh, said Chen, adding that the company plans to make Pingtan as a permanent transfer point.