Following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to China last month, the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) has reported that the Philippines would start shipping durian to China starting March this year.
DA Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa informed the President of the scheduled shipment of durian to China during a meeting with Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) in Malacanang this week.
In its presentation, the DA-BPI said there is an initial volume of 7,500 metric tons (MT) of durians ready to be sent to the Asian country, which will be sourced from 59 different farmers or producers covering some 400 hectares of production area.
President Marcos’ China visit last month opened the country’s door for more Philippine fruit exports to Beijing as he cited the agricultural sector as “at the forefront” of the post-pandemic economic recovery strategy.
Mr. Marcos told the chief executive officers (CEOs) from the agriculture sector in Beijing that the protocol for the export of fresh Philippine durian was already signed, paving the way for Chinese importers to source the fruit from the Philippines.
Manila and Beijing agreed on a protocol of phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh durians from the Philippines to China between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and China’s General Administration of Customs.
The $2.09 billion in purchase intentions for Philippine fruit exports secured by the Marcos administration also covers coconut and bananas, among others.
At least four companies had expressed their intention to purchase more Philippine tropical fruit products, especially durian, the President said.
The Durian Industry Association of Davao City (DIADC) on Wednesday meanwhile said that they expect to start shipping fresh durian to China next month.
Department of Agriculture-Office of the Agriculture Counsellor (OAC) to China Agriculture Attaches Ana Abejuela said that the country needs to do the first batch of export to China right.
“The first shipment is critical because the impression of the china buyers on the quality of the Philippine fresh durian needs to be assessed, which may affect the following shipments,” Abejuela said.
The Davao region covers 78 percent of the total durian production in the country.
DA Region 11 Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo said that in preparation for the March 2023 shipment, the DA-11 is closely monitoring the farms identified as exporters to China through the High-Value Commercial Crops Program (HVCDP), together with the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD).
“We will be monitoring fruit-bearing trees to be harvested this coming March to assure good quality durian fruits that will be sent out as our first shipment”, Monteagudo said.
In Caraga Region, the DA is now preparing farmers to produce export-quality durian through Training on Durian Production and Marketing Opportunities.
The training includes production techniques, good agricultural practices, nursery management protocol, and the exportation of durian fruits.
Caraga region has an existing area of 1,315 hectares of durian. To meet and sustain the demands of the Chinese market for fresh durians, the DA-Caraga HVCDP has identified 2,154 hectares as a potential area for expansion in the region.
Emmanuel Belviz, President of DIADC said that China’s ever-growing demand for durian is expected to drive global trade growth for the durian industry, with demand expected to reach USD 28 billion by 2025.
John Tan, President of Eng Seng Food Products & Group of Companies also shared his experiences with exporting durian. “We need to focus on quality and consistently uphold the export quality standards,” Tan said.
DA’s Agriculture attaches for South Korea, Japan, Middle East and Africa also visited Belviz Durian Farm and Eng Seng Food Products Durian processing facility.
The purpose of their visit is to monitor the status of preparations of durian farms accreditations as well as observe farm protocol to ensure that the products that will be exported to China will suit not only the taste but will also meet the expectations of China buyers.
At present, the Philippines is China’s largest source of bananas and pineapples. Soon the “King of Fruits” durian will soon be exported to China.