More than 6,300 tons of fresh durians arrived at Nansha Port in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, aboard three cargo vessels within 24 hours over the weekend, as the peak import season began ahead of the May Day holiday. The shipment, comprising 356 containers, was cleared by Nansha Customs and distributed across the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.
Shipments cleared without inspection are loaded directly onto trucks dockside for immediate dispatch, while those requiring inspection are routed to the cold chain platform at Phase III of Nansha Port, where operations begin within ten minutes of arrival. Durians completing clearance can reach Guangzhou wholesale markets within two hours.
Since April 15, Nansha Customs has supervised more than 9,500 tons of imported fresh durians. The port continues to expand its role as a southern China hub for imported fruit as volumes increase during the Southeast Asian harvest.
Large volumes are also moving via rail. The China-Laos Railway has transported 50,300 tons of imported durian since January 1, up 94.2 per cent year on year. On April 23 alone, 3,661 tons of fruit arrived at the Mohan railway port, reflecting increased cross-border throughput.
In Chengdu, a durian distribution center opened to support overland logistics, targeting handling of more than 15 per cent of China's fresh durian imports within three to five years. The facility will expand cold chain storage, bonded processing, and finance, with a target of more than 400 annual international cold chain freight trains.
Supply growth has impacted pricing. Retail prices have declined to around 40 yuan per kilogram (US$5.85), following increased arrivals and higher production in Thailand. Traders attribute the price movement to harvest volumes and increased market participation, while maintaining that demand remains stable.
Mia Lu, procurement manager with Jiaxing Higo Import and Export Co, said logistics improvements have supported the market. "For example, Guangzhou now has special direct durian shipping lines, with a total of 10 weekly ships straight from Thailand, where durian production is up 30 to 40 per cent compared with last year," she said.
She added, "Going forward, the market will no longer be about price competition; it will shift to quality competition."
Nansha Port is expected to continue handling rising durian volumes as the import season progresses, supported by both maritime and rail logistics networks.
Sources: ChinaDaily / Global Times
