Thai durians go hi-tech with Tencent

Thai trade representative Narumon Pinyosinwat held talks with a Tencent executive in Hong Kong, alongside a representative from Shanghai East Best Foreign Trade (SEBFT), a leading durian importer from China.

In a post-meeting address to the press, Narumon revealed a monumental deal: SEBFT committed to purchasing a staggering 3,000 containers of Thai durians, amounting to a whopping 10 billion baht. The first batch of 400 containers is slated for shipment to China next month.

Each durian will boast an invisible QR code embedded in its stem, ensuring authenticity. Tencent is spearheading the initiative, providing a cutting-edge blockchain system to enable buyers to authenticate Thai durians simply by scanning the invisible QR code with their smartphones.

Underpinning this technological marvel are specially developed inks that fluoresce solely under specific light wavelengths, such as infrared, rendering the QR codes invisible to the naked eye but readable by smartphone cameras equipped with the right filters or infrared capabilities.

Narumon expressed confidence that this innovation would instil trust among Chinese buyers, safeguarding the integrity of Thai fruit and thwarting attempts to pass off inferior products from other countries as authentic Thai produce.

Furthermore, the Thai Commerce Ministry enlisted Tencent’s expertise to construct an online platform facilitating seamless transactions between Thai vendors and Chinese buyers, streamlining the export process.

With the e-commerce platform currently undergoing trials, Narumon anticipates its full-fledged launch within the next 45 days, reported The Nation.

Tencent, renowned for its pioneering messaging app WeChat, continues to push boundaries, ushering in a new era of technological advancement in international trade.

In related news, Chanthaburi is set to be promoted as the leading fruit exporter to China by the Commerce Ministry, to drive sales of durian and mangosteen to exceed 3 billion baht. This move has been catalysed by a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Thai-Chinese Agricultural Import-Export Association and the China Fruit Marketing Association.