Thailand Tropical insights

In the first five months of this year, China's fresh durian imports sharply declined by nearly one-third, with Vietnamese durian experiencing the most significant drop. The primary reason is that after detecting cadmium and alkaline tender yellow in durian imports from Thailand and Vietnam, customs intensified inspections of imported durians. Customs data released for January-May 2025 shows that the country's fresh durian imports plummeted from 582,300 tons in 2024 to 390,900 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 32.9%. During the same period, durian import value dropped from $2.864 billion to $1.930 billion, a 32.5% decline. Among fresh durian importing countries, Vietnam was most severely affected, with its exports to China plunging 61.6% in both volume and value. Thailand remains China's primary fresh durian source, with imports decreasing by 21.8% in volume and 24.0% in value. According to Vietnamese durian industry professionals, many regions lack local fruit testing laboratories, leading to delayed export approvals and repeated rejections at border checkpoints. Meanwhile, Thailand has excelled in establishing farm-level testing facilities and rebuilding market confidence, resulting in minimal export disruption. While durian imports significantly contracted, Hainan's domestic durian is gradually emerging. This is the third year of large-scale fruiting and batch marketing for Sanya durians, with the first "tree-ripened" batch harvested in late June, and more durians expected to mature by mid-to-late July. In recent years, Hainan's durian tree survival rate has increased from 30% to over 90%, with current plantation areas reaching approximately 40,000 mu. Beyond expanding cultivation scale, Hainan teams have conducted hybrid breeding, tree dwarfing, off-season fruiting tests, and improved cultivation techniques to develop varieties and technologies suitable for the Hainan region.

According to the Thai National Business Report, the prices of durian and mangosteen in eastern Thailand continue to decline. Durian prices are around 70-80 baht/kg (15.3-17.5 yuan/kg), while mangosteen prices have dropped to a 10-year low, at approximately 12-14 baht/kg (2.6-3.1 yuan/kg). Due to poor quality, Chinese importers have temporarily suspended purchases, causing early-season durian prices in the south to fall below 100 baht/kg. The decrease in mangosteen prices is primarily due to high production this year and most orchard owners selling directly without grading.

According to Thai media reports, the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) revealed that since adjusting the customs clearance mode and lowering the inspection rate for alkaline tender yellow at the Friendship Pass, Thailand's durian exports to China through this port have become more convenient, with exports continuing to grow. The International Trade Promotion Department suggests that exporters appropriately divert to other ports to alleviate congestion at the Friendship Pass. The report submitted by the Thai International Trade Promotion Office in Nanning documented the truck clearance situation at the Friendship Pass, particularly for Thai fruits like durian. The report shows that the Friendship Pass is currently the most important land port for China facing ASEAN countries like Vietnam, and China's largest land fruit import and export port. The Thai Ministry of Commerce disclosed that durian exports through the Friendship Pass customs are proceeding smoothly without any issues. After adjusting the clearance mode, the Friendship Pass port maintained orderly truck traffic during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday from May 31 to June 2. Within three days, over 8,800 trucks crossed the border, with a daily average of 2,934 trucks, representing an 89% year-on-year growth. Despite the large number of clearance trucks, the port remained unobstructed. Regarding Thai fruit exports to China, the report showed a large number of durian-carrying trucks entering through the Friendship Pass. In May, 4,540 containers of Thai durian entered through the port, averaging 150 containers daily, recently increasing to 170 containers per day. After customs inspection of alkaline tender yellow, clearance speed has accelerated. The International Trade Promotion Department stated that the Friendship Pass is the largest land port for Thai durian exports to China. Despite increased truck volume causing some congestion, Thailand can still export more durian through its modern management system and faster, more relaxed inspection policies. For exporters seeking to avoid congestion, the department recommends considering alternative ports such as Mohan Port, Mohan Railway Port, Hekou Port, Tianpu Port, Nansha Port, Dongxing Port, Pingxiang Railway Port, Longbang Port, Qinzhou Port, and Nanning Wuzhou International Airport. These ports have fruit import qualifications and clearance capabilities,