Visitors taste grapes during an activity celebrating the Chinese farmers' harvest festival in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan)

China has launched a new export channel of vegetables and fruits to Mongolia with 18.5 tonnes of fresh produce transported via Ganqmod Port, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on Monday.

Trucks carrying 18 types of vegetables and fruits, including apples, pears, tomatoes and cucumbers, went through the land port in Bayan Nur City, heading for Mongolia's South Gobi province where the demand for agricultural products keeps rising due to a growing population in its mining area.

In the past, fruits, vegetables, and other daily necessities were transported to Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, via Erenhot, the largest land port on the China-Mongolia border, and then to South Gobi, said Lyu Xiaojun, deputy director of the port management office of Bayan Nur.

The new transportation distance is about 1,500 km shorter, helping reduce costs and keep the freshness of products, Lyu said.

"With this new platform, our enterprises will be able to export high-quality fruit and vegetable products, and deepen exchanges and cooperation with Mongolia," Lyu said.