Davao durian exports to China reach 10,000 MT

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 17 Oct) – The volume of fresh durian exported from this city to China has drastically increased to 10,000 metric tons (MT) from January to October 2024 , an official of the City Agriculturist Office (CAO) said on Thursday.

Workers load durians outside Magsaysay Park in Davao City. MindaNews file photo by MANMAN DEJETO

During the iSpeak Media Conference Thursday, Fe Oguio, CAO focal person for cacao and durian, said that the local exporters are shipping Puyat, D101, and cob varieties to China, just a year after local exporters started shipping to this new international market

She said that the local durian farmers need to improve the quality of their produce to meet international standards, specifically those classified as “A&B” class, which command higher prices compared with regular durians typically sold in the local market.

Oguio said that exporters seek durian with uniform size, no bruising, intact stalks, and golden yellow flesh.

She added that local durian growers need to improve quality of harvest and production by adopting new technologies and good farm practices, particularly plant nutrition, that are being used by durian-growing neighbors such as Thailand and Malaysia.

“Our durian industry is very young. It takes 20 years for Thailand to master their protocols to produce durian,” Oguio said.

Local farmers started taking durian production seriously after the Philippines began exporting durian to China in April 2023, following the signing of a bilateral agreement between the Philippine government and People’s Republic of China.

The city, Oguio said, has 16 exporters who have direct market access to China, but still a far cry from the country’s 50,000 MT annual demand.

She said CAO continuously provides technical support and training to farmers to develop the local durian industry.

Oguio said that the durian farms here need irrigation facilities to continuously supply the trees with water. “Irrigation needs investment. We need to establish it,” she said, adding that some farms are located far from the source of water

Compared to their counterparts in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam where durian farms are being run by big corporations, local farmers have small landholdings.

She said the city has 3,000 hectares planted to durian. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)