HOHHOT, March 19 (Xinhua) -- China's apple exports to Russia via Manzhouli, the leading landway port of China, reached 21,300 tons in the first two months this year, up 34.8 percent year-on-year, according to the latest customs statistics.

The involved export value totaled over 7 million U.S. dollars, 62 percent more than that for last year's same period, according to the Customs of Manzhouli, a port city in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Apple exports via Manzhouli ranked second in China in the January-February period. Russia is the leading import market of China's apples.

Private businesses took the lead in apple exports to Russia, with a total export volume of 20,400 tons in the two-month period, accounting for 95.77 percent of the total exports to Russia for the same period.

Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Shaanxi provincesare the major apple exporters.