Durian prices in China's market nearly halved

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On May 15, many fruit stalls in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province, sold Thai Golden Pillow durians for only 19.9 yuan. Also, the selling price of Thai Golden Pillow durians in some supermarkets is less than 30 yuan.

"I like eating durian. Durian prices have dropped much recently, so durian is no longer as expensive as it once was," said Zhou, who was buying durians at the supermarket.

Zhou Shunqiu, an employee of Sichuan Chengdu Fruits Company, analyzed two main reasons for the dropped durian prices: increased durian production and the competition among durian growers from different origins.

"Currently, the Chengdu Mengyang Fruit Wholesale Market sells about 500 tons of durians daily, with sales increasing by about 150% compared to last month. The unit price has also dropped from around 1,200 yuan last month to 600 yuan now, nearly halving the price," Zhou said.

He estimated that as durians from various countries continue to enter China in the next few months, the durian price may continue to fall.

In recent years, Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and other regions have been growing durians. The planting area of Hainan durians has reached nearly 40,000 mu (around 2667 hectares), and this year's output has increased two to three times compared to last year, reaching about 200 tons.

Zhou said that domestic durians are mainly grown in Hainan and Guangxi. Currently, the planting area is small and the output is low. According to data released by China Customs, China imported about 1.4 million tons of durians in 2023. In comparison, the proportion of domestic durians is still relatively small and has a limited impact on the domestic market.

According to Zhou, cultivating durians entails a lengthy cycle, with stringent demands on soil quality, climate conditions, and temperature and humidity levels. Through decades of refinement and cultivation, domestic durian production has surged, yielding abundant fruit.

In the future, with the increase in planting scale and the maturity of technology, domestic durians will increasingly rival imported varieties. Their advantages lie in their freshness, ripening on the tree, pure flavor, and shorter transportation distances, providing consumers with different choices.

Source: Huaxi City Daily；trans-editing by Guo Yao