More than 17 tons of fresh Cambodian durians have been officially exported to the Chinese market after passing inspection and quality certification from the Ministry of Agriculture in accordance with export protocols.
So Cambodia can really do its part in exporting the king of fruits to the world’s largest durian market right now, as the market is currently booming. The neighboring countries of Cambodia, which have a prosperous agriculture and a large land area, have rich experience. These Cambodian durian products have been exported through the sea and are scheduled to arrive in China in 9 days.
According to Mr. Khim Finan, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, after exporting 17 tons of durian, if nothing changes, Cambodia will have 3 more containers of durian ready to be exported next week. He stated, “This is another success for Cambodia’s fresh fruit exports to this potential market. Please join us in congratulating all farmers and plantation owners.”
From this start, can Cambodian durians conquer the Chinese durian market, which is currently dominated by durians from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, or the Philippines?
In fact, Cambodia has only about 5,000 hectares of durian cultivation area, and so far, it has only been able to harvest on about 3,000 hectares of land per year, with a total yield of about 37,000 tons per year. This output is really not competitive with those countries at the moment because the durian harvest is very small and a large part of it has to be supplied to the domestic market.
The amount of durian that Cambodia exports to China at present and in the future is small, but like it or not, Cambodia can really grab a place in the Chinese durian market, which needs about $7 billion worth of durian every year.
Cambodia’s transformation into a durian exporter to the Chinese market, which Cambodia has now achieved, has already made the old durian market powerhouses recognize Cambodia. This is a success for Cambodia, even though Cambodia has not yet been able to conquer the large market that these countries have.
In 2024, China imported durian worth a total of about $7 billion, with Thailand accounting for 57 percent of the total market, Vietnam for 41.5 percent, and durian imports from the Philippines and Malaysia. Now, Cambodia has entered this market, but in the future, it may also come from Indonesia and Laos.
So far, the Chinese durian market has been dominated by Thai and Vietnamese durian. However, the volume of exports from both countries has been declining due to import restrictions following the discovery that durian products from both sources are contaminated with chemical residues that may pose health risks, particularly in relation to the development of the pandemic. This is an opportunity for Cambodia to grab a share of the market and gain a foothold.
Regarding the Cambodian durian market, Mr. Wang Wenbin, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, also expressed strong support for Cambodian durian during a visit to the plantation. Durian recently. He said during a trip earlier this month that he was very happy to visit Cambodian durian farms and taste the best durian in the world.
What should Cambodia do to develop the durian market in China?
Please don’t be greedy and set yourself the goal of beating others, because as we know, our durian is a new product. So it requires recognition. To be recognized, it is necessary, we must do marketing and promotion of our durian products. In addition, we must ensure that the quality of our durian is a product that comes from natural farming, not contaminated with harmful chemicals. We must let Chinese people who like to eat durian know and recognize the quality of durian that is grown responsibly and respects the standards of the lives of those who eat it.
Every step of expanding our market should be done thoroughly by studying the possibilities and capabilities as well as the basis of farmers’ durian production, and must avoid agricultural production that can be wasted. Our market is agriculture, which boosts yields with agricultural chemicals. In addition, we must also monitor and ensure supply and maintain stability and demand for domestic supply. For example, if we export durian, we set a five-year export target of capturing 5 percent of the Chinese market. With that share, we can export $350 million. If we export 10 percent, we can earn an additional $700 million to enter our economy.
