Preamble:
Durian, the name represents an extreme taste experience in the minds of many people. Some people can't resist its unique aroma, while others shy away from its strong smell. But love it or not, durian's position in the fruit world is indisputable – known as the "King of Fruits". You know, in the past, it was very luxurious to eat durian, a durian of about 3 catties was bought, and it would cost a hundred-yuan bill, which was still a small durian, once it was bigger, hundreds of yuan would be spent.
Although the daughter-in-law of the family likes to eat, she can't stand spending so much money for three days, so durian is in the hearts of the public, that is, the representative of luxury fruits, just like the perennial high-priced cherries, which can only be tasted occasionally, and if you want to eat it as a meal, it can only be the rich second generation.
What kind of fruit is durian
To understand durian, let's take a comprehensive look at it. Durian, whose scientific name is Durio zibethinus, belongs to the genus Durian in the Malvaceae family, which is native to the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. It is a large evergreen tree with a trunk that can reach up to 25 meters and bears fruit weighing several kilograms, covered with sharp hard thorns. The fruit of durian is rich in pulp, with a unique taste, sweet and bitter, delicate taste, and extremely high nutritional value.
The main production areas of durian are concentrated in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand and Malaysia. These two countries not only have a suitable climate for durian growth, but also have a long history of durian cultivation. Indonesia and Vietnam are also important durian producers. There are many varieties of durian in these countries, each with its own characteristics, which caters to the different taste needs of consumers around the world.
However, before 2015, the main producing areas of durian were still Thailand and Malaysia, and Vietnam caught up later. Today, Vietnam and Thailand are the world's largest durian producers, with annual production capacity exceeding 70% of the global total.
Looking at the mainland durian, in China, durian cultivation is mainly concentrated in tropical areas such as Hainan, Guangdong and Yunnan. Due to the constraints of climate and soil conditions, the yield of domestic durian is relatively low, which cannot meet the growing domestic consumption demand. In recent years, with the progress of agricultural science and technology and the improvement of planting technology, the output of domestic durian has increased, but there is still a large gap compared with imported durian.
It is for this reason that durian in the mainland market is mainly imported. Due to limited domestic production, imported durian dominates the mainland market. Thailand and Vietnam are the main producers of durian, and their products account for the vast majority of durian imports from the mainland. The durians in these two countries are rich in varieties and of good quality, and are deeply loved by domestic consumers. In particular, Mushan durian and fragrant pillow durian are favored by consumers.
Durian imports from the mainland
According to the relevant data on the Internet, the number of durians imported by China from Vietnam in 2023 will be 493,183 tons, worth about US$2.137 billion, accounting for 34.59% of China's total durian imports. In 2021, China imported 48,960 kg of durian from Vietnam. It can be seen that from 2021 to 2023, the number of durians imported by China from Vietnam has increased significantly, and it has grown rapidly.
Looking at the import volume of durian from Thailand, according to the relevant data on the Internet, the number of durians imported by China from Thailand in 2023 will be 928,976 tons, worth about 4.566 billion US dollars, accounting for 65.15% of China's total durian imports. In 2021, China imported 821,540 tonnes of durian from Thailand, with an import value of US$4.205 billion. These data show that China is the main importer of durian in Thailand, and the import volume is increasing year by year.
Why is the price of durian so high?
The main reasons why durian is expensive are as follows:
High production cost: It takes 8-10 years for durian trees to bear fruit from planting to fruiting, and it has strict requirements for the growing environment, which increases the production cost.
Difficult to transport and store: Durian fruits are large and heavy, and the transportation cost is high. At the same time, durian is highly perishable after ripening, so special care is required during storage and transportation.
Strong market demand: With the improvement of people's living standards, the demand for durian, a high-end fruit, is growing, and the market is in short supply, and the price is naturally high.
Aside from the above points, there is another point of imports: at present, domestic production cannot support market consumption at all, so most durians are imported, and imported durians are naturally much more expensive than domestic ones, at least the cost can be reflected.
Why is the domestic durian production so low? Why don't the Chinese people be more diverse, and don't let Thailand and Vietnam make this money?
The main reasons for the low production of domestic durian are:
Climate and soil conditions: Durian has special requirements for the growing environment, and most parts of China are not suitable for durian growth.
Planting technology needs to be improved: Compared with Southeast Asian countries, China still has a certain gap in durian planting technology.
Market recognition: Compared with imported durian in terms of quality and taste, domestic durian needs to further improve consumer recognition.
To sum up, our climate has no advantages, there are few places suitable for planting, and the planting technology is not mature enough, which leads to the failure of durian production for various reasons.
Why is durian so cheap this year? A box is only 280 yuan?
Judging from the price of durian in recent days, the price of durian in many regions has begun to drop. Someone who is cheap posted that you can buy a box of heavy durians for only 280 yuan, which is like picking up treasures. Why are durian prices so cheap this year? Is it going to sell cabbage at a price?
From the above, we know that durians in Thailand and Vietnam occupy almost the entire durian market in the mainland. In addition, judging from the changes in import data, Vietnam's import volume has shown a skyrocketing and doubling mode, and in just half a year in 2024, Vietnam's durian import volume will be close to Thailand's, which is to seize Thailand's durian market in China.
The layman can't see much, but Thailand's durian export data has clearly shown a downward trend. In the durian producing area of Thailand, durian is basically in a state of unsalable now, only due to the sharp decline in the number of exports to the mainland. In order to regain the original durian market, Thailand is also in a hurry to jump over the wall, and can only do tricks from the price, that is, to sell at a reduced price.
In fact, the decline in durian prices has long been foreseen by industry insiders. Thailand began to attract consumers by lowering export prices, which led to a decrease in durian prices. Thailand panicked, it had a good business of its own, and now Vietnam suddenly came to disrupt the situation, so can't it take some measures?
Thailand has no good way but to reduce the price of exports to the mainland, so as to attract the mainland to import more durian from Thailand. Clear-eyed people also know that those with price advantages will naturally choose those with low prices.
And Vietnam saw that Thailand was engaged in a price war, so it simply began to reduce prices, which prompted durian prices to start to reduce from the source. Another point that cannot be ignored is that with the improvement of domestic planting technology, domestic durian has gradually formed competitiveness, which has a certain impact on the imported durian market.
Another fundamental reason is that it is summer now, and a large number of durians are on the market, which will also lower the overall durian price, and the price will not be as high as the supply in the early stage.
Durian is going to be "free".
With the decline in durian prices, consumers seem to have ushered in the era of "durian freedom". A box is 280 yuan, and the price is about 15 yuan per catty, so that more people can enjoy the delicious taste of durian. Of course, now that the price of durian has dropped, when you buy durian, don't blindly covet cheap, after all, cheap does not necessarily have good goods. When comparing prices, you should also learn how to choose durians with full flesh and fresh flesh.
Let me teach you some ways to choose durian!
When buying durian, here are a few tips to pick out the better quality durian:
- Observe the appearance: Choose a durian that is larger and rounder in shape, usually with more flesh. Durians with a flatter bottom are often referred to as "mother durians" and have a richer flesh.
- Check the shell color: Mature durian shells are darker in color and appear yellowish-brown, while cyan durians are not yet fully ripe.
- Pinch the spikes: Pinch the two adjacent spikes with your fingers, if they feel soft and elastic, it indicates that the durian is ripe better.
- Smell: Ripe durians will have a characteristic rich aroma, and if they smell alcohol, they may be overripe.
- Check the fruit stalks: Fresh durian stalks are thicker and brightly colored, and a shriveled stalk may mean that the durian is not fresh enough.
- Listen to the sound: Pick up the durian and shake it gently, if you can hear or feel the slight collision of the pulp, it means that the pulp is ripe and may be out of the shell.
- Observe the bulges on the husk: The bulges of durian usually correspond to the flesh inside, and more bulges may mean more pulp.
- Avoid excessively large cracking durians: Although cracked durians may seem ripe, durians with excessively large openings in summer are susceptible to bacterial infections and are not recommended to buy.
- Consider the "stature" of the durian: choose a durian with a uniform shape and no obvious depressions or deformities, such as durians that usually have evenly distributed pulp.
With these tips, you can increase the probability of picking durians with a lot of meat and a sweet taste. However, since durian is a very personalized fruit, different people's taste preferences may be different, so you need to combine your personal taste when buying.
But does a drop in price mean a decrease in quality? Can domestic durian break through in this price war? These issues still deserve our attention. For the price reduction of durian, do you think it has an impact on our lives? Feel free to leave a message and let us know what you think!
The story of durian continues, and so does its position in the market. As consumers, we expect not only reasonable prices, but also quality assurance. With the development of durian industry at home and abroad, I believe that we will be able to enjoy more high-quality and inexpensive durian in the future.