Storyline: From sweet melons to juicy kiwifruit, Chinese fresh produce is fast becoming a household staple across the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), driven by booming exports and faster trade routes. At the heart of this surge is Horgos, a key inland port linking northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with SCO member states. In the first seven months of the year, it handled 329,000 tons of fruit, vegetables, and nuts bound for SCO markets, according to local customs data. Each day, long lines of refrigerated trucks stream through Horgos via the China-Kazakhstan "green lane", which is an expedited channel that clears agricultural goods within 24 hours. "Growing high-quality fruits and seeing them being sold abroad makes me truly proud. Export orders have increased by 70 percent with prices remaining stable. Recently, we have been busy picking and packaging fruits every day, preparing for shipments to Kazakhstan," said Xu Zhichun, a fruit grower. Yu Chengzhong, chairman of Horgos-based Jin Yi Group, said the company has signed contracts to deliver 50,000 tonnes of fruit to customers across Central Asia and Russia this year. "This year, we have received a large number of orders from customers in Central Asian countries and Russia. Our company has signed a sales contract for 50,000 tons of fruit, including grapes, kiwifruits, apples, orah mandarins and other fruits to be delivered in 2025. Recently, we have been exporting 50 truckloads of fruit and vegetables every day, weighing nearly 1,000 tons. The goods can be loaded onto vehicles, declared, and exported within a day, reaching the market in Almaty the same day," Yu said. "In the first seven months of this year, 329,000 tons of fruits, vegetables and nuts were exported to other member states of the SCO through the Horgos Port, an increase of 37.1 percent year on year. In particular, the volume of fresh apricots exported to Kyrgyzstan has increased by more than 50 times," said Li Jiang, deputy director of Horgos Customs. Rising purchasing power and a growing taste for variety are fueling a surge in Chinese fruit imports across SCO member states. With transport links strengthening and cold-chain logistics streamlining delivery across Central Asia, demand is set to stay strong. Shotlist: Horgos City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China - Recent: 1. Various of orchard, farmers picking fruits 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Xu Zhichun, fruit grower (ending with shot 3): "Growing high-quality fruits and seeing them being sold abroad makes me truly proud. Export orders have increased by 70 percent with prices remaining stable. Recently, we have been busy picking and packaging fruits every day, preparing for shipments to Kazakhstan." 3. Various of farmers picking, transporting fruits 4. Various of farmers loading fruits onto vehicles, fruit 5. Various of container trucks at Horgos Port 6. Various of fruits 7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yu Chengzhong, chairman, Horgos-based Jin Yi Group (ending with shot 8): "This year, we have received a large number of orders from customers in Central Asian countries and Russia. Our company has signed a sales contract for 50,000 tons of fruit, including grapes, kiwifruits, apples, orah mandarins and other fruits to be delivered in 2025. Recently, we have been exporting 50 truckloads of fruit and vegetables every day, weighing nearly 1,000 tons. The goods can be loaded onto vehicles, declared, and exported within a day, reaching the market in Almaty the same day." 8. Various of people checking, transporting fruits 9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Jiang, deputy director, Horgos Customs (ending with shot 10): "In the first seven months of this year, 329,000 tons of fruits, vegetables and nuts were exported to other member states of the SCO through the Horgos Port, an increase of 37.1 percent year on year. In particular, the volume of fresh apricots exported to Kyrgyzstan has increased by more than 50 times." 10. Aerial shots of vehicles at Horgos Port. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]