A train carrying the first batch of rice, part of Chinese aid goods to South Sudan and Kenya, left Zhuzhou, Central China’s Hunan Province on Wednesday for the Port of Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province. Photo: Courtesy of Port of Guangzhou

Port of Guangzhou, the world's fifth-largest port, has opened a trade route carrying food from Central China to Africa, utilizing the multi-mode transportation of rail and sea freight, the port's operator said on Wednesday.

A train carrying the first batch of rice, part of Chinese aid to South Sudan and Kenya, left Zhuzhou, Central China's Hunan Province on Wednesday.

The train carried a total of 1,935 tons of rice stored in 86 20-foot shipping containers and will arrive at the Port of Guangzhou for embarking by September 28. From there, the goods will be sent to Mombasa, Kenya and are scheduled to arrive on October 15.

Hunan is a vital player in China-Africa cooperation and the opening of the trade corridor allows inland provinces to send goods to Africa in a faster and lower-cost way, facilitating trade in Belt and Road markets.

The new method using trains cuts costs by 60 percent compared with truck freight and the entire journey is also cut by about 10 days.

Food prices globally are up nearly 33 percent since the same period last year, according to the latest UN Food and Agriculture Organization's monthly food price index released in September.