One More Transport Option for Delivering Thai Durians to China

According to Thaizhonghua News, the 2023 durian harvest in eastern Thailand is just around the corner. This season, the region is estimated to produce 756,456 metric tons of fresh durians, representing a slight year-on-year increase of 3.3%.

Durian picking will officially kick off on March 10, with the Puang Manee variety the first to become available to consumers. Chani durians should hit the market just 10 days later, followed by the renowned Monthong durians in mid-April. This year, Thailand will require a minimum of 35% dry matter at harvest, which is higher than last year’s 32%.

Another Thai Chinese-language newspaper, the Sing Sian Yer Pao Daily News, recently reported that Rapeepat Chandrasriwong, director general of the Department of Agriculture, held a talk with his counterpart in Laos on Jan. 28. During the discussion, Laotian authorities reportedly expressed their willingness to promote the border trade between the two countries and facilitate Thailand’s agricultural shipments to a third country if goods pass through Laos by rail or road. Under these circumstances, sealed containers of Thai fruit bound for China will generally no longer need to be opened for inspection when passing through Laos. This change is expected to reduce the risk of fruit contamination during transport and help prevent fruit smuggling.

Previously, because Mohan Port in China’s Yunnan province could only deal with fruit carried by truck, Thai fruits such as durians bound for China had to be first transported by train from the Laotian capital of Vientiane to the border town of Boten and then be brought into China via Mohan Port using trucks. However, since Dec. 3, 2022, Mohan Railway Port has been officially permitted to handle fruit imports and exports. The railway port links Mohan with Vientiane via the recently completed China–Laos railway. The new train services have greatly reduced the transport time and cost of delivering Thai fruit to China.

According to a forecast made by Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the total planting area of durians, mangosteens, rambutans and longkongs in eastern Thailand will reach 139,460 hectares in 2023, representing an increase of 4% over the previous year. Flowering and fruit-bearing trees are expected to account for 76% of the total area. Eastern Thailand is projected to produce a total of 1.16 million metric tons of fruit in 2023, a year-on-year decrease of 2.18%.

Image: Pixabay

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