HOHHOT — A total of 27,700 metric tons of fruits and vegetables were exported from China to Mongolia via the border port of Erenhot in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region in the first half of this year, according to the Erenhot customs bureau.

The total trade value of fruit and vegetable exports to Mongolia through the port from January to June exceeded 48.96 million yuan (about $7.26 million).

A green channel for agricultural products was launched in 2018, and it has since been bringing various fruits and vegetables to Mongolian tables. With the introduction of the green channel, fresh fruits and vegetables are allowed to pass through customs at the fastest possible speed.

Some 80 percent of fresh fruits and vegetables in the Mongolian market are Chinese exports supplied via Erenhot.

However, a COVID-19 outbreak in the city of Erenhot disrupted the normal operations of the port in June this year, bringing fruit and vegetable exports to Mongolia to a standstill, said Liu Jian, an official with the Erenhot customs bureau.

To solve the problem, Erenhot customs negotiated with Mongolian customs officials and took measures such as submitting plant quarantine certificates online, Liu said.

Fruit and vegetable exports resumed after stagnating for several days, Liu said.