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China's rejection of Thai durian opens door for Indonesian exporters
Indonesia eyes a bigger slice of the global durian market, and a recent rejection of Thai supplies by the world's largest importer, China, might help local producers increase exports.
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A woman walks past a durian delicacies stall on Dec. 29, 2024, on a street in Hong Kong, China. (AFP/Mladen Antonov)
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ndonesia is eyeing a bigger slice of the global durian market after China, the world’s largest importer of the fruit, rejected more than 100 containers of durian from Thailand earlier this year.
The fruit from Thailand was found to be contaminated with the carcinogenic dye “Basic Yellow 2” (BY2), leading to its return by Beijing authorities and the blacklisting of several Thai exporters.
This “will create an opportunity for Indonesia to supply durian directly to China,” says Liferdi Lukman, director of floriculture at the Indonesian Agriculture Ministry’s Horticulture Directorate General.
Efforts to access the Chinese market for durian exports were already in progress, he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, noting, however, that an agreement still needed to be signed between the two governments regarding shipments of durian in frozen form, which was expected to happen next month.
“Fresh durian will be audited by GACC (China customs) to the plantation and packing house in Central Sulawesi around the end of February 2025 to prepare a fresh durian export protocol”. He explained to the Post.
As the durian market in China continues to grow, Indonesia has been positioning itself as a strong contender.
In 2023, Indonesia produced around 1.83 million tonnes of durian, a significant volume that reflects the fruit’s growing importance in Southeast Asia.
