On December 22, with a blast of whistle, Huaihua City’s first train for self-operated import of chromite departed from South Africa and went all the way to Xinhuang Station of Huaihua International Land Port via the Beibu Gulf-Huaihua rail-sea intermodal transport service. The train was loaded with about 5,000 tons of chromite from South Africa, amounting to about RMB10 million. This marks another breakthrough made by Huaihua City this year, in addition to the first self-operated fruit import, the first cross-border export of fruits and vegetables, the launch of the first international cold chain fruit import train, and other innovative measures for foreign trade import and export.
It is reported that many high carbon ferrochrome manufacturers in Huaihua have long relied on raw materials supplied by trade companies in coastal areas and other areas, with complicated procurement procedures and high costs.
“By cooperating with Huaihua Yiyatong Supply Chain Company and taking advantage of the Huaihua International Land Port, we manage to reduce the time and cost of importing raw materials. We save about RMB200 for each ton. This is conducive to the survival and development of enterprises,” said Zeng Weimin, General Manager of Xinhuang Huadong Silicomanganese Co., Ltd.
To solve the development dilemma faced by ferrochrome manufacturers, Huaihua Bureau of Commerce has, since the beginning of this year, sent delegations to visit Yueyang and Qinzhou Port for inspection and study, in conjunction with Huaihua Customs, Huaihua International Land Port Economic Development Zone and other departments. Thanks to the convenient customs clearance services provided by Huaihua Customs and efficient financing support provided by Hunan Bank and supported by relevant departments in Xinhuang and Huaihua International Land Port Economic Development Zone, Huaihua Bureau of Commerce leveraged the role of Huaihua Yiyatong Supply Chain Company, a state-owned platform of Huaihua International Land Port, to open a channel for the self-operated import of chromite, thereby helping manufacturers reduce cost and improve efficiency.
“By fully utilizing Huaihua’s geographical and logistics advantages, Yiyatong builds a chrome ore distribution center based on Huaihua International Land Port, in a bid to provide professional and efficient supply chain services for enterprises and stabilize and reduce costs through large-scale, intensive operation.” The chromite imported this time will soon be utilized in Huaihua’s industrial development and create a strong impetus for economic development, according to Xie Lei, Chairman of Yiyatong. Meanwhile, the company serves major chrome ore processing companies in Huaihua and areas within a 200-kilometer radius from Huaihua. It strives to achieve a trade volume of over 400,000 tons in self-operated import of chromite by 2025.
It is learned that from January to November this year, Huaihua achieved a total foreign trade amount of RMB12.37 billion, an increase of 32.4% over the previous year, and its growth rate continued to rank first in Hunan Province. Specifically, imports and exports with Africa stood at RMB1.73 billion, a year-on-year increase of 86.9%, ranking first in Hunan Province.
（Translated by Professor Yu Jie）