China’s burgeoning middle class has taken a liking to the Durian, and are now being supplied via a rapidly evolving transportation infrastructure within the Mekong region that delivers it to Chinese markets to sell for up to US$60 a piece.
Last April alone the total value of Thai durian sales was recorded at US$220 million, an increase of 207% from the year prior. In a single minute, Alibaba Group’s Tmall.com sold 80,000 Monthong durians to Chinese consumers, and its rival JD.com moved 428,000 kilogrammes of the Thai delicacy in one day reports chinadialogue.net/
Chinese traders are increasingly prevalent in Thailand’s durian-producing east, where farmers are abandoning other crops to cash in on the durian bonanza. However, this dynamic is exposing huge risks fuelled by poor foresight in Thailand’s agricultural policy. This may put farmers deeper in debt and further weaken the country’s agricultural potential as it ebbs and flows with the Chinese market.
Thailand has long been the world’s leading durian producer, with exports now rivalling domestic consumption by a factor of five to one. China receives up to 90% of Thai durian sent abroad. This has been aided by a unique agreement whereby Thailand is the only country authorised to import whole, fresh durian into Chinese markets.
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