Chinese Durians Are Almost Here: Hainan Durians To Hit Market in 2024

According to a Hainan TV report, the durian planting area in Hainan province now exceeds 2,000 hectares and Hainanese durians are forecast to hit the market in 2024 with an expected annual supply of 45,000–75,000 tons.

Du Baizhong, general manager of Hainan Youqi Agricultural Company, claimed that the company’s durian trees were growing well, with almost 100 trees now bearing fruit. In the same report, the director of the Huasheng Ecological Agriculture Base in Hainan, Gan Hanjiang, said that their durian trees are bearing more fruit every year. Two or three trees now have dozens of durian fruits, he said, with the heaviest fruits weighing around five kilograms.

Durian trees were first introduced to Hainan in the 1950s. However, the trees did not bloom or bear fruit as a result of poor cultivation techniques. In 2019, 44 durian trees introduced in Baoting successfully bore fruit, sparking new enthusiasm among Hainanese growers.

Local scientific research institutes continue to explore novel plans for pest control and water and fertilizer management, and the survival rate of durian saplings has increased to over 95%. According to statistics from the Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the durian industry has developed rapidly in recent years. In Baoting, Sanya, Ledong, Lingshui and other southern cities and counties, initially sporadic cultivation has developed into a production area of more than 2,000 hectares.

The academy recommends planting in the mountainous areas of southern and central Hainan before gradually expanding northwards. The academy stated that it would employ technical means to increase the supply of high-quality seedlings to meet the growing demands of farmers and planting companies. At the same time, the academy advocates the legal introduction of high-quality seedlings from abroad, as well as using local durian trees for grafting and propagation.

Image: Pexels

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.