HAIKOU, Dec. 19 -- South China's Hainan Province exported tropical fruits worth 36.77 million yuan (about 5.15 million U.S. dollars) as of Monday, a 2.4-fold increase year-on-year, local customs said Tuesday.

According to Haikou Customs, the tropical fruits have been exported to the United States, the European Union, and Japan, etc. Among the exported fruits, seedless lychee was sent for the first time to Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

Tropical fruits from Hainan, such as mangos, lychees, and melons have been selling well worldwide in recent years. Sanya's mango industry is the largest tropical fruit sector.

With a planting area of more than 360,000 mu (24,000 hectares), the mango industry in Sanya has an annual output value of about 6 billion yuan.