China: Typhoons cause delays for airfreight fruit imports
The last of a trio of severe typhoons is expected to intensify in the East China Sea either today or tomorrow, after its predecessors caused damages from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong to Zhejiang near Shanghai. 
On July 9, Typhoon Linfa was the first to hit southern Chinese shores with windy downpours carrying through all the way up the coast to Fujian. The China Meteorological Administration said this 'monster typhoon' has already destroyed 1,500 hectares of crops.
On July 11, Typhoon Chan-hom hit several cities in the country's richest province, Zhejiang, causing an estimated CNY2.43 billion (US$391 million) in direct economic losses and reportedly impacting more than 81,000 hectares of crops.
Sun Laida, head of Ningbo-based Meilaoda Waxberry Cooperative, said the typhoon's impact was heaviest with home-grown crops and nurseries. The Waxberry are a sweet, crimson subtropical fruit that is also known by the names yangmei, Chinese bayberry, Japanese Bayberry, red bayberry, yumberry or Chinese strawberry.
"Many of the waxberries are now still inundated by the ongoing inflow of water. I'm relieved though, as the actual loss is not as deadly as I once expected," Sun said earlier this week.
Well before its eventual landing, Chan-hom already brought heavy downpours to Shanghai and many cities in Zhejiang. Its impact on transport links extend to airports, railways and highways in several neighboring provinces.
Shanghai Oheng Import & Export Co Ltd general manager Kurt Huang said sea-borne produce goods were less affected by the typhoon than airfreight items. The Shanghai Pudong airport closed down on Saturday for the whole day, delaying goods that were originally scheduled to arrive over the weekend.
"The typhoon alert was finally cancelled, and the airport is now back in operation. But all the delayed goods are stuck in line right now," Huang said earlier in the week.
"The arrival volume broke records as we tried to process two days of goods in only one day."
At the time, U.S. cherries and plums were ready for delivery.
He said rainfall on Saturday also impacted the Shanghai Huizhan Fruit Market.
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