Hainan Durians Hit Market With Prices Over $16 per Kilogram

Durians from China’s tropical island province of Hainan have now hit the market on a large scale for the second year in a row. In addition to significantly higher yields compared with last year, this year’s harvest also started earlier. By the end of May, durians from the city of Sanya in southern Hainan had already begun to be harvested and sold, about one month earlier than anticipated. Retail prices for the first batch of Hainan durians are currently hovering around 120 Chinese yuan ($16.57) per kilogram, similar to last year’s prices.

The limited cultivation area and production volume of domestic durians have naturally resulted in high prices. Many durians are pre-ordered by customers while still on the tree or directly purchased from the orchards. In 2023, approximately 93 hectares of durian trees in Hainan bore fruit with a total output of 50 metric tons. According to Du Baizhong, president of the Hainan Durian Association, these figures are predicted to increase to 260 hectares and 250 metric tons in 2024.

Besides being the president of the association, Du is also the general manager of Hainan Youqi Agricultural Company (海南省优旗农业股份有限公司). The company’s durian orchard is currently the largest in Hainan, with an estimated production volume of 150–200 metric tons this year. The average Brix values of the first crop of durians from the company’s orchard ranged between 30% and 32.5%, with some fruits reaching up to 38.5%.

Imported durians are typically harvested when they are about 70–80% ripe, whereas domestic durians can stay on the tree until they have fully ripened. Owing to their ripeness and freshness, domestic durians have become highly favored by China’s durian enthusiasts. Moreover, with its rapid development of planting technologies, Hainan’s durian sector has attracted widespread attention. It has been reported that growers from other regions of China, as well as individuals from other sectors, have visited Hainan and shown great interest in investing in durian cultivation.

Industry insiders estimate that the durian production area in Hainan will exceed 6,600 hectares within the next three to five years. Under the current cultivation conditions, Hainan durians bloom in March, begin to hit the market by the end of May, reach large-scale maturity by mid-June and remain available until September.

Image: Pixabay

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