By Antonio Colina IV
DAVAO CITY – Durian from Mindanao has started penetrating the United States market, Davao Durian Council president Larry Miculob said Wednesday, providing an economic opportunity for durian farmers.
(PIXABAY / MANILA BULLETIN)
Speaking at the “Wednesdays at Habi at Kape” forum, Miculob said the first batch of fruit, which consisted of around 300 kilos of arancillo, puyat, duyaya, and durio graveolens varieties, was shipped to the U.S. via a Philippine Airlines flight last Oct. 16.
He added they hope to increase the export volume soon.
He said the batch was sold to famous Oregon-based video blogger Lindsay Gasik, who said the durian from Davao received positive feedback from the customers there who prefer Davao’s frozen durian meat to durian fruits imported from Thailand, which exports whole durian to the U.S.
The durian was sold at $69.99 dollars for a box of two kilos.
“The U.S. market was quite surprising. They said is much better than what is sold in the local market… because when we export frozen durian meat, we can be 99.9% sure of its quality, unlike when you export whole durian, you can only ascertain its quality once you open it,” he said.
Miculob added he hopes the entry of Philippine durian into the U.S. market will encourage more farmers to grow more durian to increase the current production level.
“We are looking at expanding the volume so we can send more. I hope the farmers realize that we have an opportunity to export, and the market in Manila is starting to expand,” he said.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Davao region produced 59,027 metric tons (MT) of durian in 2018, higher by 14 percent as compared to 51,818 MT produced in 2017.
Miculob said Davao is at present exporting a small volume to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan.
He added that the export restriction imposed by China on durian from the Philippines has yet to be lifted, but the Chinese government currently allows direct shipment of mangos, pineapples, bananas, and coconuts from the Philippines.