At approximately 4:00 PM on December 15, one tonne of Beninese pineapples arrived at the Changsha Airport Port via air freight. This shipment marks Hunan's first import of Beninese pineapples and a new milestone in expanding agricultural trade between Hunan and Africa.

Beninese pineapples look like water droplet in shape. Even when fully ripe, their peels often remain green. The flesh is white, tender, and sweet, with a soft and juicy texture that tastes free of astringency without saltwater soaking. Compared to the pineapples commonly found in Chinese market, the Beninese pineapples have little sour taste, known as Africa's "sweet bread." The "sweet bread" or Sugarloaf pineapple is Benin's first geographical indication product certified by the African Intellectual Property Organization.

Benin is Africa's fourth-largest pineapple exporter, with an annual output of approximately 400,000 tonnes, whose products are primarily supplied to European markets previously. "At the sixth China International Import Expo held in Shanghai in 2023, Benin's Sugarloaf pineapples garnered immediate acclaim upon their debut," said a representative from a Hunan company, the importer. This shipment will be distributed to chain supermarkets and fruit stores both within and outside Hunan Province. Based on market feedback, subsequent import volumes are expected to expand further.

There are 117 cases of pineapples in this batch, departing from Benin's local airport and arriving in Changsha via a layover in Ethiopia, with the entire journey taking 17 hours. After passing inspection by the Changsha Huanghua Airport Customs, the pineapples cleared customs at 6:00 PM that same day. A Changsha Customs official stated that in accordance with China's relevant policies, the customs authority granted zero tariffs on this imported pineapples.

责编：王柯沣

一审：王柯沣

二审：秦慧英

三审：张权

来源：长沙市政府门户网站