Chinese durian lovers rejoice as new rail routes bring supply surge and lower prices

Durian prepared for export to China. (File photo: Commerce Ministry) SHANGHAI - Not long ago, eating a whole durian was a splurge for many Chinese households, with the fruit's demanding storage and transport requirements helping to keep prices high.This summer, the pungent spiky fruit has become cheap enough for "durian price plunge" to become a trending topic on Chinese social media. Retail prices for some durians have nearly halved, plunging to below 40 yuan (190 baht) per kilogramme, according to Chinese media reports. At Guangzhou's Jiangnan wholesale fruit and vegetable market, the largest of its kind in China, reference prices for Thai and Vietnamese durians have ranged from 28 to 31 yuan per kg so far in August, compared with 29 to 39 yuan per kg in August last year. The drop in durian prices in China - the world's biggest market, accounting for more than 90% of global durian consumption - came amid rising imports and expanding cross-border transport links. The China-Laos-Thailand all-rail cold-chain service, launched in March, runs regularly from Thailand through China's Yunnan province to Chengdu in Sichuan. It enables Southeast Asian fruit to reach the Chinese market in as little as three days, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday. Imported durians could now travel under an unbroken cold chain, transported in remotely controlled refrigerated containers, moved through temperature-controlled loading docks, and delivered to customers in electric refrigerated vehicles, Xinhua said. "An increasing number of global goods are becoming affordable and accessible to ordinary Chinese consumers," said Wang Jun, deputy director of the General Administration of Customs, at a press conference last month, where he cited durian as an example. Since 2022, China has approved durian imports from five additional countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos, further expanding its sources of supply, he said, adding that imports reached 1.87 million tonnes last year, double the volume recorded in 2022. Previously, Thailand had been China's sole approved source of durian imports. In the first seven months of this year, China imported 1.45 million tonnes of durians, up more than 45% from the same period last year, according to customs data. Thailand exported US$4.55 billion worth of durians to China from January through July, accounting for more than three quarters of total shipments by value.