Fresh coconut water is generally popular because of its naturalness and health, and the consumption of fresh coconuts is increasing year by year. Due to a limited domestic supply, the Chinese market has a long-term demand for imported fresh coconuts from Thailand.
As summer is approaching, the market demand is also rising. Mr. Sam Xie, the general manager of Gold Anda Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Gold Anda"), is in the production area in Thailand. He shared the relevant information about the current production area of Thai coconuts with Freshplaza.
"Thailand is now in the "hot season", with hot weather and little rain. Because the growth of coconuts requires rain, the recent coconut production is less. However, China's summer is approaching, and the market's demand for fresh coconuts and fresh coconut juice is gradually increasing. Coconut production is in short supply and prices continue to rise. At present, the price of origin has increased by 30%-40% compared with February 2023, and it is still rising, almost every week. On the other hand, the lifting of China's pandemic policy has smoothed market consumption and increased sales, making the price this year higher than the same period in previous years, with an increase of about 10%-15%." Xie said.
According to reports, the quality of Thai coconuts is generally stable, and coconut juice in the "hot season" tastes sweeter. Because the variety is suitable for fresh consumption, and the aroma and sweetness of the juice are ideal, Thai fresh coconuts and coconut juice are very popular in the Chinese market. In terms of the packaging of fresh coconut juice, in recent years, there has been an "easy-open coconut" package equipped with an easy-open device, allowing consumers to drink it at any time.
Gold Anda's own brand is "Gold Anda". In addition to selling imported fresh coconuts and fresh coconut juice, it also imports durian and mangosteen from Southeast Asia. At present, the durian picking season in Thailand has just started. According to Xie, after the pandemic policy was relaxed, many durian buyers from China arrived in Thailand to purchase. Recently, the price of durian in Thailand has been 30% higher than that of the same period last year.