According to Inquirer, Philippine media: Huang Xilian, the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, said that China has initially approved the import of fresh durians from the Philippines. It is reported that the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines recently organized experts to conduct market access investigations in the Davao region of the Philippines.
In 2021, China imported a total of 822,000 tons of durians worth 4.21 billion US dollars (about 29.328 billion RMB), a year-on-year increase of 82.4%. In the first half of 2022, total imports increased by another 60% year-on-year, making durian one of the most popular imported fruits in the Chinese market.
Huang Xilian said that the durians from the Davao region are of high quality and delicious, and he believes Chinese consumers will like them. "As one of the most valuable agricultural products, the introduction of high-quality fresh durians from the Philippines into China, a country of 1.4 billion people, will benefit hundreds of thousands of Filipino farmers," he added.
According to the Philippine Department of Agriculture: From 2014 to 2021, the Philippines has consistently ranked among the top ten exporters of fresh durians. Durian is grown in 47 provinces across the country, but the Davao region accounts for 78% of the total production (2020), and nearly 50% of the region’s production comes from Davao City. Local varieties include Chanee, Monthong, Arancillo and Puyat.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, in 2020, the total area of durian cultivation in the Philippines is about 17,000 hectares, with a total of 1.3 million durian trees, and the output is about 79,000 tons, down 0.6% from 2019. In 2019, the largest export market for Philippine fresh durians was Hong Kong, China, followed by Singapore and Thailand.
In 2020 and 2021, the Philippine fresh durian export market began to diversify, exporting durians to markets such as Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Qatar, and Australia for the first time in 2021.
If fresh durians can be exported to China smoothly this time, it will be good news for both Philippine fruit farmers and Chinese consumers.
Source: Inquirer