Thai farmers shift to durian production amid rising Chinese demand

Driven by high demand from China, farmers in Thailand and across Southeast Asia are increasingly replacing traditional crops like coffee, rubber, and mangosteen with durian cultivation. China remains the world’s largest market for the fruit, with fresh and frozen durian accounting for nearly half of its total fruit import value last year.

However, the market is becoming increasingly competitive. Since China permitted Vietnamese durian imports in 2022, Vietnam has captured a slight majority of the market share, supplying approximately 50.37% of China’s fresh durian imports compared to Thailand’s 49.29%. Other nations, including Malaysia, the Philippines, and Cambodia, are also expanding their production.

While higher yields have boosted incomes for some Thai farmers despite recent price fluctuations, there are growing concerns regarding oversupply. As production expands globally and China increases its own domestic cultivation in provinces like Yunnan and Hainan, the risk of falling prices grows. To mitigate this dependency on the Chinese market, the Thai government is attempting to expand export reach to India, the European Union, and the United States.