Urumqi Customs in northwest China said they handled the export of 3.89 billion yuan (558 million U.S. dollars) worth of agricultural products in 2018, up 4 percent year on year.

The agri-product export mainly to central Asian countries was 441,200 tonnes last year, according to Urumqi Customs, which administers customs affairs of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Since 2013, express clearance services have been offered to agricultural products through four ports on the border with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Urumqi Customs administers three aviation ports in Urumqi, Kashgar and Yining and 15 land ports along the border.

Boosted by the Belt and Road Initiative, import and export in Xinjiang has been increasing steadily.