According to the South China Morning Post, Vietnamese and Malaysian durians are in a fierce race to usurp Thailand's "throne" in the Chinese market.
Durian from Vietnam and Malaysia could usurp Thailand's throne in China, as the country imported a record amount of durian in 2024, the South China Morning Post reported.
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| Vietnamese durian is in the "race" to "dethrone" Thai durian in China. Illustration photo: Getty Image |
According to Chinese Customs data, the country imported $6.99 billion worth of durian in 2024. However, the growth rate in China is still somewhat slower than the 66% recorded in 2023, after Vietnam officially entered the market.
In December alone, China imported nearly 60 million durians, up 12% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, durian imports from Thailand to China last year fell 12% compared to 2023.
Thai durian has long been the king of the Chinese market, accounting for 68% of durian imports in 2023. However, its market share in China fell to 57% last year, due to problems from chemical abuse in cultivation and a decline in production after a severe heat wave.
China’s General Administration of Customs has recently requested Thailand to provide test reports for durian crops after discovering excessive levels of the chemical dye Basic Yellow 2. Since January 10, Chinese authorities have conducted random checks on fruit samples at all border checkpoints.
According to Vision Thai media channel, Chinese Customs last week returned about 100 containers of durian shipped to the country before January 10, causing losses of 500 million baht (equivalent to 368 billion VND).
In contrast, China's durian imports from Vietnam increased 14.6% year-on-year last month and increased 37.56% in 2024, reaching a total turnover of 2.9 billion USD.
China also began accepting fresh durian shipments from the Philippines in April 2023. Imports from the country to China last year were worth $32.5 million, up 144.4% year-on-year.
According to the South China Morning Post, China has a 'crazy love' for durian, causing businesses in this country to launch a series of promotional programs, along with durian-flavored dishes to satisfy consumers' 'thirst'. Recently, a buffet restaurant in Shenzhen city has become famous on social media because it has a menu with more than 200 durian-flavored dishes.
To meet strong domestic demand, China has now begun planting some durian trees on Hainan Island. However, initial production of this variety is very small, as a durian tree takes several years to reach full maturity.
Chinese authorities are also concerned about the nutritional value of domestically grown durian, after a recent study found that domestically grown durians are lacking an antioxidant, which is commonly found in foreign varieties.
Source: https://congthuong.vn/sau-rieng-viet-nam-se-soan-ngoi-thai-lan-tai-trung-quoc-371098.html
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