Ningbo citizens must have heard of Poland apple. Bi-colored, typically striped with yellow and red, with a crisp and sweet taste, it became a “cyber celebrity” in the 2017 China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo. An apple was priced at eight yuan, but customers scrambled to buy the apple. The apples used for the exhibition were bought by citizens. This year, Poland apples displayed again in No. 5 Pavilion.

Zhang Rong, a Zhejiang businessman, shared with the reporter how he introduced Poland apple to Ningbo.

Poland is Europe’s largest and the world’s third-largest apple planting country. In March 2016, Zhang traveled to Poland on an inspection trip to apple plantations, where he tasted different kinds of apple. After coming back to China, he began to think of how to introduce Poland apple to Ningbo. In the same October, the General Administration of Quality Supervision approved the import of apples produced in Poland. In mid-April of 2017, Zhang flew to Poland again to place an order. Poland apple was debuted in the China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo that year, which had attracted lots of attention.

“The yield of Poland apple was not high, thus the price was high. After the exhibition, it was not sold anymore. This year is a harvest year. I have ordered ten containers of it, 200 tons in total. The price per 500 grams is about twenty yuan. Ningbo people can enjoy a real treat.” Zhang said.

These years, a lot of products of the Central and Eastern European countries have entered the markets of Zhejiang and China via Ningbo Port. The Poland Pavilion established in Ningbo International Convention & Exhibition Center is displaying all kinds of red wines, Poland milk, and various snacks. Milk and red wines should be the most popular products.

During the Consumer Goods Fair of 2014 Zhejiang Investment & Trade Symposium, characteristic products of the CEEC landed in Ningbo for the first time, attracting Ningbo citizens to “sweep the goods”. Zhang smelled the business opportunities and focused on the CEEC market. He chose a bulk commodity--Poland milk.

On June 8, 2015, “Meeting Poland” imported food area was opened on the China-CEEC Investment and Trade Fair, which attracted lots of visitors far beyond the expectation. Nowadays, Poland milk at an affordable price has entered ordinary households of Ningbo. Today’s Ningbo Pavilion can sell sixty tons of Poland milk in a month, which is sold to more than 100 cities across China.

After Poland milk, Zhang also introduced other characteristics products of CEEC into China, such as Poland apple, Romania cookies, Romania honey, Romania beauty makeup products, which have achieved a considerable sales volume. He said, these years, related departments of Ningbo had opened a green channel for CEEC commodities, which had enhanced the customs clearance efficiency. In the future, he will bring more good products of the CEEC to Ningbo.

(Executive Editor: Yongliu He)