The country exported 859,183 tons of the fruit worth US$3.75 billion to China last year, down 13% in volume and 9% in value from 2023, according to its Ministry of Commerce.
Meanwhile, China’s overall imports rose by 4.1% to a record 15.6 million tons worth $6.99 billion.
Thailand remained the top supplier, but its share of the market fell from 68% in 2023 to 57%, while that of its main rival, Vietnam, went up from 33% to 41.5%.
This has caused Thailand to take measures to improve the quality of its durian, which has taken a hit due to rapid expansion of planting areas and unusually hot weather last year.
Since China adopted tougher quality standards in early January, requiring testing for basic yellow 2, also known as auramine O, some 64 tons of Thai durian have been rejected, according to Thai newspaper The Nation.
This led to a heated debate between the Thai commerce and agriculture ministers during a Cabinet meeting last week and an investigation into Rapeepat Chansriwong, director-general of the Agriculture Department, for alleged bribery related to basic yellow 2 testing.
Authorities have been inspecting durian orchards in the eastern province of Chanthaburi and ordered thorough sanitation of warehouses to ensure they meet the new Chinese standards by April.
They have also tightened quality control at every stage from harvesting to final transportation, particularly to eliminate basic yellow 2 and cadmium, a toxic heavy metal. Legal action will be taken immediately if violations are detected.
Assistant Minister of Commerce Worawong Ramangkura said the government intends to promptly address issues hampering exports before the main harvest starts in May.
Thailand has also been working to expand online sales of its durian in China by collaborating with key opinion leaders on social media platforms like Douyin, Weibo and Xiaohongshu.
It runs a campaign called “Thai Fruit Golden Month,” which designates May 5 as Thai Durian Day, on prominent Chinese e-commerce sites like Tmall and JD.com to maximize sales during the peak season.
It attends major international trade fairs such as the China-ASEAN Expo while inviting Chinese importers to local events like THAIFEX to promote cooperation.
The Thai government expects these measures to restore China’s confidence in Thai durian.
Malaysia began shipping fresh durian to China for the first time last year. Though its exports were worth only $5.7 million, Malaysian durian varieties are considered premium and fetch higher prices than those sold by other Southeast Asian countries.
The Philippines, the other country to export the fruit to China, saw shipments jump 144.4% to $32.5 million.
Meanwhile, Laos is seeking to enter the Chinese market while Indonesia aims to begin exporting frozen durian by year-end.
