"The Belt and Road" Opportunities Co., Ltd. | Thailand | Opportunities behind the price change of a durian

Xinhua News Agency, Chongqing, June 27, by wire: the "the Belt and Road" opportunity behind the price change of a durian

Xinhua News Agency reporters Zhao Yufei and Wang Jiaxuan

Chongqing resident Kang Lili was pleasantly surprised to find that the price of Thai golden durian, which cost nearly 100 yuan per kilogram in April, has dropped to over 40 yuan per kilogram in June. She bought a whole durian for just over 120 yuan.

"Now the price of durian is not only more than double that of April, but also much cheaper compared to the same period in previous years. 'Durian Freedom' is getting closer and closer to us," said Kang Lili, a durian enthusiast.

Durian is known as the "king of fruits" in Southeast Asia. In China, durian is increasingly recognized and loved by consumers due to its rich taste and unique flavor, but its high price also makes some people hesitate.

The picture shows the staff of Hong Jiu Fruit's Thailand factory loading durians that are about to be exported. Shen Jizhong

Today, behind the price change of durian, there are factors such as the entry of concentrated picking and listing of durian in Southeast Asia, and thanks to the "the Belt and Road" initiative, China and countries along the line have built new international logistics channels, narrowing the space and time distance between Southeast Asia durian and other products and the western inland of China.

Recently, the China Laos Thailand cold chain direct cross-border test train carrying about 500 tons of fresh Thai durian has successfully arrived in Chongqing and been distributed to various parts of the country. This is the first time that Thai durian has been directly transported from overseas to Chongqing through the Western Land Sea New Channel railway train.

"This batch of durians arrived in Chongqing in just 4 days," said Deng Haoji, Chief Operating Officer of Chongqing Hongjiu Fruit Co., Ltd. The company has imported durians multiple times this year through the western land sea new channel, making it more convenient and efficient for Southeast Asian durians to enter the Chinese market. As a result, the import volume has increased significantly, and logistics time and costs have decreased by more than 50% compared to traditional routes. These benefits will benefit consumers.

At the factory of Chongqing Hongjiu Fruit Co., Ltd. located in Tsim Chuk Phuc, Thailand, staff are shipping durians for sale to China. Shen Jizhong

With Chongqing as the operation center and the western provinces, autonomous regions and cities as the key nodes, the new land sea channel in the west uses railway, sea, highway and other transportation modes to reach the world in the south, promote the solution of international logistics problems in western China, and create new development opportunities for countries and regions along the "the Belt and Road".

Data shows that the Western Land Sea New Corridor has reached 120 stations in 61 cities, 18 provinces and regions in China, and 393 ports in 119 countries and regions worldwide. From January to April this year, Chongqing transported 51000 TEUs of goods through the Western Land Sea New Channel, a year-on-year increase of 37%; The value of goods was 7.884 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24%.

With the deepening of cooperation in the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" and the continuous progress in the construction of national strategic channels such as the new land sea channel in the west, Chinese consumers have the opportunity to enjoy the cost-effective durian, while Southeast Asian durian growers are also sharing the dividends of the Chinese market.

In the plantation of Tsim Chuk Phrayon, Thailand, durians are in the mature season. 44 year old plantation owner Penlet Chato is busy organizing fruit pickers to pick plump golden pillow durians, most of which will be sold to China through the western land sea new channel.

According to data from the Thai Ministry of Commerce, in 2022, China was the largest export market for durian from Thailand, accounting for 96% of the total export volume, with a total export value of 3.09 billion US dollars.

This is a durian taken on May 5, 2022, at a durian sorting factory in Tsim Chumphon, Thailand. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Teng

As one of the suppliers of Chongqing Hongjiu Fruit Co., Ltd., the annual revenue of Penglet Chato Plantation has increased from approximately RMB 3 million in 2018 to around RMB 3.5 million in 2022.

"Logistics are becoming more and more smooth, and the demand in the Chinese market is rapidly releasing. The Chinese market is very important to me," said Penlet Chato in a remote interview with Xinhua News Agency.

In addition to durian, Southeast Asian specialty products such as Thai dragon fruit, Indonesian cat poop coffee, Laotian beer, and Vietnamese bass fish have also entered the Chinese market more quickly through the western land sea new channel.

According to the data of the General Administration of Customs, in the first five months of this year, China's imports and exports to countries along the "the Belt and Road" totaled 5.78 trillion yuan, an increase of 13.2%. Among them, exports amounted to 3.44 trillion yuan, an increase of 21.6%; Imports amounted to RMB 2.34 trillion, an increase of 2.7%.

Since the "the Belt and Road" initiative was proposed, it has become a popular global public product and international cooperation platform. As of now, the initiative has attracted over three-quarters of countries worldwide to participate, creating 420000 jobs for co built countries and helping more and more countries accelerate economic development.

Kang Lili said that as a senior "durian enthusiast", she sincerely looks forward to more and more high-quality and affordable durians entering the Chinese market, so that "durian freedom" can be achieved as soon as possible.

"I hope that the cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries will deepen, so that more Chinese people can taste the delicious durian, and my income can also increase a bit," said Penlet Chato.