The Philippines is poised to start shipping durian to China starting March this year, Malacañang said on Thursday, Feb. 23.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa has informed President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. the scheduled shipment of durian to China during a meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) last Tuesday.
According to De Mesa, there is an initial volume of 7,500 metric tons (MT) of durians ready to be sent to the Asian country, which will be sourced from 59 various farmers or producers covering some 400 hectares of production area.
This followed the agreement reached by the Philippines and China during Marcos' state visit in January to allow more Philippine fruit exports to Beijing.
Marcos told the chief executive officers (CEOs) from the agriculture sector in Beijing that the protocol for the export of fresh Philippine durian was already signed, paving the way for Chinese importers to source the fruit from the Philippines.
Manila and Beijing agreed on a protocol of phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh durians from the Philippines to China between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and China's General Administration of Customs.
The US$2.09 billion in purchase intentions for Philippine fruit exports secured by the Marcos administration also cover coconut and bananas, among others.
At least four companies had expressed their intention to purchase more Philippine tropical fruit products, especially durian, the President said.
Fresh fruits, including Cavendish bananas, have been the top drivers for Philippine agricultural exports to China.
Marcos assured business leaders that durian growers, represented in the meeting by the Davao Durian Industry Association, "have long waited for this opportunity and are ready to meet the demands of the Chinese market."
The Davao region covers 78 percent of the total durian production in the country.
In 2021, total durian imports from Thailand amounted to USD 4 billion, more than triple the total Philippine agricultural exports to China in the same period.