First Philippine Durian Exports To Reach China Next Month

According to the Philippine News Agency, the first ever exports of Philippine durians to China weighing a total of 7,500 metric tons will be delivered in March of this year.

Cheloy Garafil, secretary of the Philippine Presidential Communications Office, said that even President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had been notified of the development during a meeting held at Malacañan Palace. The durians are expected to originate from 59 producers with a combined planting area of approximately 400 hectares.

During a state visit to China in January, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed a fruit export agreement with China worth $2 billion. This agreement is expected to greatly promote exports to China of high-value agricultural products such as durians, coconuts and bananas. On Jan. 7, China’s General Administration of Customs published on its website the phytosanitary requirements for Philippine durians, thus completing one of the final steps needed for shipments to commence.

In a previous notice, the Philippine Department of Agriculture announced that the durians making up the initial shipments to China would originate from registered orchards in Davao City, Davao del Sur and North Cotabato.

At least four Chinese companies, including Dole (Shanghai) Fruits and Vegetables Trading Co. Ltd., Shanghai Goodfarmer Group, and Dashang Group, have committed to purchasing durians from the Philippines. It is projected that the country will export $260 million worth of durians to China in 2023.

Davao, a key seaport city on the island of Mindanao, produces over 50,000 metric tons of durians each year, accounting for more than 70% of the country’s total durian output. In comparison to other durian cultivars, local varieties exhibit superior features in terms of yield and disease resistance. The peak harvest period for Davao durians runs from July to October, with Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore as the main overseas markets. At present, Davao has at least five durian packaging plants and 3,000 durian growers.

Growers and traders in the Philippines are reportedly very optimistic about the Chinese durian market. In 2021, China imported over $4 billion worth of durians from Thailand, more than three times the total value of Philippine agricultural exports to China in the same year.

At present, the major fruit item exported from the Philippines to China is bananas. However, in the face of quality issues and fierce competition from other suppliers such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Ecuador, the share of Philippine bananas on the Chinese market has recently been shrinking.

Image: Pixabay

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