BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese mainland has seen a sharp increase in the import of fruits from Taiwan in advance of next week's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival.

In the first 20 days of this month alone, south China's Guangdong Province imported 149 tons of fruit from Taiwan, worth 104,165 U.S. dollars, compared with the monthly average of 64.5 tons for the first eight months, said sources with the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (SAQSIQ) on Friday.

Over the past year, Guangdong opened a special "green passageway" exclusively for fruits from Taiwan, giving them priority to ensure timely customs clearance, quarantine inspection and delivery.

This year's first batch of grapefruits from Taiwan arrived in Shunde, Guangdong provice on Sept. 16. It took the six tons of fruit 42 hours to arrive by sea, but only half an hour to pass customs and quarantine inspection, said the Chinese quality watchdog.

Since the Chinese mainland lifted import taxes on 15 kinds of fruits from Taiwan last August, imports have climbed month by month in Guangdong, from where the fruits are transported to other parts of the country.

Xinfadi Market, Beijing's largest agricultural products wholesale market, signed on Thursday a contract with a Guangdong-based dealer in a move that will allow fruit from Taiwan to directly enter the Beijing market. Sixty tons of fruit from Taiwan arrived in the capital city, said sources with Xinfadi Market.

Other port cities, like Shanghai and Xiamen, are also experiencing a surge in fruit imports from Taiwan.

The fruits that enjoy duty free status include pineapples, cherimoyas, pawpaws, carambolas, mangos, guavas, wax-apples, pinangs, grapefruits, coconuts, loquats, plums, peaches, and persimmons. Enditem