Export of Thai durian made 187 billion baht in 2021

Rice is no longer Thailand’s largest export. It’s not rubber either, it’s durian. The export of the popular fruit made almost 187 billion baht in 2021. Rice made 100 billion baht, while rubber brought home 90 billion baht.

Thailand is set to keep its status as the world’s largest durian supplier for the next five years. However, with intense competition from Malaysia and Vietnam, its export market share could drop from 85% to 76%, according to professor Dr. Att Pisarnvanich, Director of the Centre Association.

Based on the price at Guangzhou’s Jiangnan fruit and vegetable wholesale market, the price of Thai durian exported to China between 2022 and 2026 is expected to rise to 417 baht a kilogram for the Mon Thong types.

Many farmers in Thailand’s north-eastern regions have shifted to growing durains rather than growing other crops in the past 10 years. Around 80% of farmers in Thailand’s eastern region have removed rubber trees from their property and replaced them with durian trees.

Durian is expected to do well with high export demand in China, but it’s going to face some problems and obstacles along the way, including increased demand, labor shortages, quality control, and price limitations imposed by Chinese wholesale buyers.

Between February 2022 and the first week of June, the eastern area alone exported around 434,000 tonnes of durian to China, compared to 425,000 tonnes in the same period in 2021.

Transportation costs have soared with inflation, posing a new obstacle. The shipping cost of a cargo container has jumped from US$2,300 to almost US$9,000, while the cost of land transport has gone from 80,000 baht to 250,000 baht.

SOURCE: Thai PBS