China sets new records for durian imports in 2021 despite pandemic

Between 2010 and 2019, durian consumption in China grew at a relatively rapid pace, maintaining an average annual growth rate of more than 16%. According to customs data, this trend continued into 2021, with China’s durian imports between January and November reaching a volume of over 809,000 metric tons and a value of $4.13 billion. China’s previous highest annual import volume was 604,500 tons in 2019, with the highest import value being $2.3 billion in 2020. Both records had already been broken in the first 11 months of 2021. China’s durian imports originate almost exclusively from Thailand and are subject to enormous market demand. In recent years, this booming demand coupled with soaring shipping costs has led to increased durian prices. The average price of fresh durians in China rose to $4.0 per kilogram in 2020, and it increased again in 2021 to as high as $5.11 per kilogram. As a result of shipping difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as China’s somewhat ...