Indonesia pursuing China market access for fresh durians

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan recently stated that the country’s government is striving to secure China market access for fresh durians, with Chinese demand for the fruit estimated to reach $8 billion. According to Zulkifli, Indonesia is currently only permitted to export durian paste to China, a product that is typically used in ice cream production. This processing is not only time-consuming but also leads to lower prices. In the past, large quantities of durians from Central Sulawesi were re-exported to China via Thailand, significantly reducing potential profits for Indonesian growers. As a result, the Indonesian government hopes to negotiate the necessary procedures to allow growers to directly export fresh whole durians to China in the near future. According to the Indonesian Quarantine Agency, China is scheduled to inspect Indonesia’s durian sector next year. Zulkifli further noted that following these inspections, the two countries could ...