Chinese desert fruit is making its way to Southeast Asian countries, according to a report from The State Council of The People's Republic of China.

The report states that cold-chain trucks shuttle in orchards in Horqin Sandy Land, a vast desert area in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, will load and transport fresh newly picked crabapples in local orchards for export to Southeast Asian countries.

The organization reported that a local farmer in the city of Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, which manages a crabapple orchard field of about 12.67 hectares in this area, will produce 2,000 kilograms of crabapples per mu this year.

"Nearly half of the fruit from my orchard has been ordered for export to Southeast Asia," said farmer Teng Dayong.

The little red fruit grown in the inland area is transported by trucks to Chinese ports, such as Dalian, for marine shipping.

The fruit is expected to appear on the shelves of supermarkets in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand after ten days of cold-chain transport.

Related articles: Minister of Malaysia Agriculture and Food Security visits Joy Wing Mau Group, witnessing Malaysia Fresh Durian Launch in China

Horqin Sandy Land is one of China's largest desert areas, stretching over 77.6 million mu and straddling three Chinese provincial-level regions.

Aoserji, director of the forestry and grassland administration in the county, said that decades ago, locals had planted poplar trees to serve as shields against sand. However, these trees consumed a lot of water and offered poor economic benefits.

To address the agricultural issue, the forestry and grassland academy in Tongliao later developed a crabapple variety that serves both ecological and economic purposes, said Aoserji.

Farmers are keen to grow the variety because it's sweet and nutritious, plus cold-resistant and drought-tolerant.

The city of Tongliao now boasts 350,000 mu of crabapple trees, achieving an annual output of more than 100,000 tonnes.

Kailu County in Tongliao has recorded an export volume of more than 100 tonnes of crabapples a year, and exports this fruit to a number of countries including Thailand, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The county has built a cold storage facility capable of storing 1,000 tonnes of this fruit, thereby keeping it fresh until April and May of the following year for export.