World: The exotic fruit whose demand jumped 400% year-on-year

The appetite for the small strange fruit, at least for our latitudes, called durian is growing insatiably. Global demand for the fruit has jumped 400% year-on-year, according to HSBC. A lot of credit for this goes to China, or rather the "craze" for Chinese consumer fruits. "Demand for durian is up 400% year-on-year, fueled solely by the craze in China," the bank said in a report cited by CNBC. Over the past two years, China has imported $6 billion worth of durian, or 91 percent of global demand, the report said. The "boom in durian demand" is largely centered in China, where consumers view the commodity not simply as a fruit, but as a gift that shows the wealth of the giver. While China's durian demand boom began as early as 2017, demand growth has only picked up since the end of 2022, according to HSBC data. Who are the major exporters of durian The main supplier is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN, which accounts for 90% of the world's durian exports in 2022. ...