Recently, there has been good news from Indonesia that it is expected to officially sign an agreement with China next month, marking the first direct entry of Indonesian frozen durian into the Chinese market.

It is understood that for a long time, Indonesia's exports of durian to China have been limited to fruit puree and pulp products, and need to go through Thailand for transit, which undoubtedly increases costs and reduces the income of Indonesian farmers. However, with the continuous growth of demand for durian in the Chinese market, the Indonesian government sees a huge business opportunity and has decided to accelerate the negotiation process with the Chinese government, striving to achieve direct export of durian to China.

Li Feidi, Director of the Fruit and Flower Cultivation Department of the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture's Flower Bureau, stated that both governments are actively promoting the signing of relevant agreements. Once the agreement is reached, frozen durians from Indonesia will be able to be directly exported to China, meeting the demand of Chinese consumers for high-quality durians. Meanwhile, Li Feidi also revealed that the General Administration of Customs of China is expected to travel to Indonesia in the near futureSulawesi ProvinceConduct on-site inspections of fresh durian orchards and packaging factories to prepare for potential fresh durian export agreements in the future.

It is worth noting that Indonesia has a significant advantage in durian production. According to statistics,In 2023, Indonesia's durian production reached 1.83 million metric tons, but most durians are used to make processed foods such as jam and ice cream, with profits far lower than directly exporting whole durians. Therefore, the Indonesian government hopes to increase the export of durian to China, enhance the added value of the durian industry, and increase farmers' income.

In addition, the rise of Indonesia's durian industry also faces some challenges. Due to Indonesia's relatively remote geographical location from the Chinese market, the preservation and transportation of durian have become a major challenge. Durian will ripen quickly after maturity, so how to ensure the freshness of durian during transportation has become a key issue that the Indonesian government and enterprises need to address. However, with the continuous improvement of logistics and infrastructure, it is believed that this problem will be gradually resolved.

Industry insiders believe that Indonesia has the potential to challenge Thailand's dominance in durian. Thailand, as a leading player in the global durian trade, has always held a dominant position in the Chinese durian market. However, the recent incident of Thai durian being returned by Chinese customs due to the use of carcinogenic dyes has provided a rare opportunity for Indonesian durian to seize the Chinese market.