Shipping fresh perishable products can be challenging, but some Chinese companies have made it easier for farmers to deliver fresh seasonal fruit to their customers.

For example, cherries are welcome in the summer time. But from harvesting to sale, the whole cycle usually lasts three to five days, which affects the quality of the fruit and, therefore, farmers' income.

For seasonal fruits, raising transport efficiency remains a major priority, and logistics companies in China have devised a plan to do that.
"We've launched direct flights to transport the sought-after commodities by air," said Yin Haibing, manager of the ground support service department at SF Airlines.

The manager told CGTN that only the one-way transport capacity could reach as high as 56 tonnes.

"Combined with our cold-chain vehicles, we can provide integrated services for customers in urban and rural areas," Yin continued.

Besides SF Airlines, a subsidiary of one of China's largest courier companies, other major domestic couriers, such as JD Logistics and China Post, are making efforts to grow their fruit-transport business.

"More domestic couriers are competing for transporting fresh fruit like cherries and lychees in the summer,"Dong Qiang, a professor at China Agriculture University, told CGTN, stressing that what's behind that is "market demand."

Dong said more Chinese consumers have got into the habit of eating seasonal fruit, not only in the summer but in every season.
"It will become a new normal."

With an increasing number of companies joining the air shipment business, the professor also believes the logistics industry is up for a new and expanding market.