Hainan’s Qionghai City To See First Commercial Durian Harvest This Summer

According to local media, Window of the World’s Tropical Fruits — a tropical fruit production base in the city of Qionghai in Hainan province — is set to celebrate its first commercial harvest of durians this year. It is reported that two hectares of durians planted there will hit the market in August, featuring popular cultivars such as Musang King, Monthong (also known as “golden pillow”) and Kan Yao.

Established by Hainan Grand Modern Agriculture Development Co. Ltd. (海南盛大现代农业开发有限公司), workers at the production base have introduced approximately 50 durian cultivars from Southeast Asia since 2016, including Musang King, Monthong, Puangmanee, Kan Yao and Ochee (also known as “black thorn”).

Cultivating durians in Qionghai presents numerous challenges owing to the region’s substantial precipitation during winter and spring, as well as the low accumulated temperature throughout the year. In 2020, the production base’s durian trees bloomed for the first time, but they were too young to bear fruit. In 2022, the trees yielded their first batch of fruits. This year, the first commercial volumes of durians will be available to consumers.

This year holds special significance for Hainan’s durian sector. In the coming month, approximately 93 hectares of durians will be harvested in Sanya, the southernmost city of Hainan Island. The total production is forecast to reach 2,450 metric tons. Currently, around 670 hectares of land in Sanya are dedicated to durian plantations. The total planting area is scheduled to be further expanded to over 3,300 hectares in the next five years.

Image: Pixabay

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