After years of growing trade relations between Thailand and China, and the more recent promotion of Thai durian in the Chinese market, China is now the largest export destination for Thai durian. This fruit is growing more popular with Chinese consumers every year. Distribution between the two countries has quickly developed in the last few years as has the growth of e-commerce traders, which allows Chinese consumers to order and receive fresh durian in a very short amount of time. These developments have pushed Thai durian sales in China.
"This year in April, when the production season had just begun, the export price of Thai durian was around 30 yuan [4.62 USD] per 0.5 kg. As the production season progressed, the overall price began to decline. The current price is only around 18-20 yuan [2.77-3.08 USD] per 0.5 kg. That is much lower than around this time last year. Compared to the price at the beginning of the season, the current price dropped by 30%-40%. Such a severe price decline is very rare." This is according to Mr. Zhu of Zhangzhou Commercial Fresh Supply Chain Co., Ltd.
Thai durian
Mr. Zhu further explained, "around 40% of the Thai durian are consumed locally, predominantly by food tourists who come to visit the durian plantations. This year the pandemic limited the movement of tourists. At the same time, the overall production volume expanded by around 30% compared to last year. These two reasons resulted in a sudden growth of the export volume. Thai durian traders are promoting Thai durian export to make sure they can sell their stock, but this of course has an impact on the price. That is why the Chinese market price of Thai durian is so much lower than around this time last year."
Thai durian
Apart from imported durian, the Chinese market also welcomes large volumes of seasonal fruits around this time of year. In addition, many fruit production areas enjoyed abundant harvests this year. The enormous supply volume puts a lot of pressure on the market. That is why the price of many fruit varieties is coming down at the moment. And import fruits are no exception. According Mr. Zhu's estimation, the price of Thai durian will continue to decline in the next few weeks.
For more information:
Mr. Zhu
Zhangzhou Commercial Fresh Supply Chain Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 177 5960 0002