Most of the imported durian in the Chinese market come from Thailand or Malaysia. Both countries use the transplantation method to grow durian, although durian are originally from Malaysia and have only been transplanted to Thailand afterwards. The original production areas are superior in terms of soil fertility and weather conditions. That is why the product quality of Malaysian durian is higher than the product quality of Thai durian. But that is also why the export price of Malaysian durian is higher.
In the last few years the Chinese market price of import durian has shown a steady rise. Still, Chinese consumers are crazy about durian. "Last year China imported a total of 575,000 tons of fresh durian from Thailand. Since the overall production volume of Thai durian was only around 700,000 tons, that means Chinese consumers ate nearly 80% of the Thai durian production volume. The Chinese market is so huge that there is no point in discussing the impact of other export markets on the durian industry in Thailand. According to the Agricultural Cooperation Bank of Thailand (BAAC), this year the production volume is estimated at 1.28 million tons of durian, which is 15.44% more than last year. And still demand exceeds supply.
"The situation in Malaysia is somewhat different. The shelf life of fresh durian is relatively short, so that Malaysia either sells fresh durian on the domestic market or exports to nearby Singapore. They do also promote a range of processed durian products such as durian candy, durian cakes, and durian ice cream. This is another indication that there is huge market potential for the durian industry," said Mr. Hu Zhenjie, a specialist in marketing and retail at Guangzhou Berda Fruit Co., Ltd.
There are many durian varieties, but the Musang King durian is the most popular with consumers. The sales volume of Musang King durian is excellent. A news article earlier this year announced the first arrival of Thai Musang King durian on the Chinese market. According to Mr. Hu Zhenjie: "Although Malaysia and Thailand both produce Musang King durian, their flavors are not the same. The flavor of Malaysian Musang King durian is first sweet and then bitter, but the slightly bitter flavor is accompanied with a sweet aftertaste. The exact composition of the flavor depends on the age of the durian tree. The bitter flavor is more concentrated in durian from older trees. Musang King durian from Thailand lack this flavor complexity, but Thai durian are cheaper. That is why Chinese consumers are still willing to try Thai durian."
In addition to differences in flavor, there are also differences in product variety between Malaysia and Thailand. Malaysia primarily exports frozen durian products, while Thailand mainly exports fresh durian. This means that there is very little competition between the two in the Chinese market. Furthermore, the Malaysian durian production seasons fall between June and July, as well as November and December. In Thailand the production season lasts from April until October. In terms of volume the Thai durian occupies a larger share of the Chinese market than the Malaysian durian.
In addition, some production areas in China have begun to produce their own durian. Most of the domestic durian come from plantations on Hainan Island. The first Hainan durian obtained permission to enter the market in 2019. Their price is higher than the price of imported durian, but sales were trending.
However, according to Mr. Hu Zhenjie, there is only a limited area in China where the natural environment and climate are suitable for the production of durian. And that is why the Chinese production volume of durian will always remain limited. "The location and plantation method are both very important for the production of top-quality durian. Low temperatures are not great for the production of flowers during the blossoming season and durian trees suffer from dry, hot weather. If the level of humidity is too low then the leaves will dry up. The average temperature on Hainan is 23.8℃ , and the lowest temperatures in January and February are around 18℃, while the highest average temperatures in June and July are over 27.7℃. The highest recorded temperature on Hainan is around 38℃. The level of humidity on Hainan is relatively high with annual averages between 77%-86%. Durian trees require temperatures of 22℃ and higher, throughout the year. That is why areas higher than 600m above sea level are unsuitable, even around the equator, because at those elevations the temperature drops too low for durian trees to grow fruit."
For more information:
Mr. Hu Zhenjie - specialist in marketing and retail
Guangzhou Berda Fruit Co., Ltd.
Website: http://www.berdafruit.com
Tel.: +86 20 8127 3836
E-mail: [email protected]
