As the Spring Festival approaches, the scent of ginger fills Chengdu International Railway Port. On February 12, two containers loaded with Neijiang ginger departed from the port aboard a China-Europe Railway Express train, exiting through the Alashankou border checkpoint and expected to reach Tilburg, the Netherlands, in 14 to 16 days.

Approximately 40 metric tons of Neijiang ginger, valued at over RMB 600,000, were exported in this shipment—the first time Neijiang ginger has been shipped overseas via the China-Europe Railway Express. Previously, enterprises relied heavily on maritime shipping, which took about 50 days and suffered from inconsistent delivery times during the Spring Festival period, along with significant challenges in temperature control, often leading to cargo damage and making it difficult to meet overseas demand for fresh Sichuan agricultural products. The use of cold-chain transport on the China-Europe Railway Express effectively resolves these logistical challenges during the festive season, removes bottlenecks in the supply chain, and provides a reliable channel for Neijiang ginger to enter international markets.

A refrigerated container fully loaded with ginger from Neijiang has been loaded onto a truck

A relevant official from the Management Committee of Chengdu International Railway Port Economic and Technological Development Zone stated that this cross-border cold-chain shipment is a key measure to ensure logistics stability during the Spring Festival and support agriculture-related enterprises in expanding into international markets. The port's service team previously visited the ginger production base in Zizhong, Neijiang, to guide container loading, optimize operational procedures, refine freshness-preserving measures, and coordinate end-to-end domestic and international rail transport, customs clearance, and last-mile distribution, delivering a "one-stop" closed-loop service.

This route utilizes specialized cold-chain containers equipped with independent refrigeration units and real-time temperature monitoring systems, maintaining temperature fluctuations within ±2°C throughout transit to ensure the freshness of perishable agricultural products such as ginger.

According to the official, this rail service reduces transit time by more than two-thirds compared to sea freight and cuts costs by 60%–70% compared to air freight, offering agriculture-related enterprises a customized cross-border logistics solution that significantly enhances the international circulation efficiency and competitiveness of Sichuan agricultural products.

The shipper stated that, following the successful trial shipment, it plans to deepen cooperation with Chengdu International Railway Port and expand exports via the China-Europe Railway Express to destinations including Russia, with an estimated 200 cold-chain containers to be shipped this year.

Beyond Neijiang ginger, the China-Europe Railway Express is building a dedicated channel for rural specialty agricultural products to reach global markets. Leveraging its cold-chain capabilities, products such as Pujiang kiwifruit and Meishan Chunjian oranges have already been delivered directly from farms to European consumers. Currently, the Chengdu International Railway Port Economic and Technological Development Zone operates bidirectional cold-chain routes to Europe and ASEAN, covering food, frozen meat, fruits, and agricultural products, and reaching major cities across Europe and Asia.

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