China imported 15.6 billion kilogrammes of durian last year, setting a new record despite broader economic challenges, the South China Morning Post reports. The value of the pungent fruit also hit an all-time high of almost 56 billion pataca (US$7 billion).
Customs data shows that durian imports grew 9.4 percent in volume and 4.1 percent in value year-on-year. While that growth broke previous totals, it was modest compared to 2023, when the value of durian imports surged by 66 percent year-on-year, driven by Vietnam challenging Thailand’s long-standing dominance as China’s primary supplier.
Last year, Thailand accounted for 57 percent of China’s durian imports, down from 68 percent the year prior, as quality and production issues at Thai plantations opened a gap in the market for other growers to fill. A temporary ban on Thai durian in January, triggered by the detection of a cancer-causing chemical dye in some fruit, further impacted the country’s market share.
[See more: China could resume Japanese seafood imports by mid-2025]
Vietnam, meanwhile, continued its rapid ascent in the Chinese market, boosting its durian exports by 37.6 percent year-on-year in 2024, with an annual value of 23 billion pataca (US$2.9 billion). The country shipped less than 50 million kilograms of durian to China in 2022, close to 500 million kilograms in 2023 and more than 700 million kilograms in 2024.
Other Southeast Asian countries are eager to tap into China’s demand for the stinky fruit, which has persisted despite a generalised trend of the middle class spending less during the country’s economic downturn.
The Philippines saw a 144.4 percent year-on-year increase in the value of its durian exports to China in 2024, while Malaysia entered the lucrative market in August, exporting 45.7 million pataca (US$5.7 million) of durian in the final five months of 2024. Indonesia is also lobbying for market access.
China’s domestic durian production on tropical Hainan island remains limited, with questions raised about the fruit’s nutritional value.
