31 October 2026 Published by Silicon Valley Innovation ไทย

Thai Food Report

Restaurants, food makers and farms in Thailand

Durian

Thai durian exports to China pass 100 billion baht

Volume already beats all of 2024, but China's customs data show Vietnam nearly level with Thailand for 2025 and a farmer reports prices 10 baht a kilo below peak.

By Thai Food Report Desk · · 4 min read

อ่านภาษาไทย

Rows of whole spiky durians with brown stalks, some green and some yellow-brown, stacked closely together
Durians on sale in Bangkok; illustrative of the fruit, not of a specific export shipment.Photo by Jonny Clow on Unsplash

Thailand sent 872,237 tonnes of fresh durian to China in the first half of 2026, in 53,665 containers worth 100.08 billion baht, the first time a half-year total has passed 100 billion baht, according to figures reported by The Star. Six months of shipping already exceeds the 2024 durian totals that Khaosod English cited in January 2025: 52,960 containers, 824,777 tonnes and 88.806 billion baht.

The Thai count

Agriculture Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said export value is expected to reach 150 billion baht this year. The ministry credits the gains to tighter export controls: a "Four Nos" policy (no immature fruit, no worms, no false claims of origin and no Basic Yellow 2, a dye China now tests for), four-layer screening, traceability and electronic phytosanitary certificates, as FreshPlaza and The Star list them. Department of Agriculture director-general Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs said the department is shifting to a "Smart Regulator" role built on science and risk management. China's testing also covers cadmium.

The controls follow a hard lesson. In January 2025, after China began testing for Basic Yellow 2, durian bought at 230 to 240 baht a kilo was resold at 110 to 120 baht once rejected, and more than 100 containers were turned back, according to Khaosod English.

China's count is higher, and less comfortable

Chinese customs data reported by the South China Morning Post in July put Thailand's first-half value at nearly 3.79 billion US dollars, about 81% of China's durian imports, and total imports up 47%. Vietnam was second at 846 million dollars (18%). Thai ministry figures show the same half at just over 3.1 billion dollars, so the two sources differ; this story uses the lower Thai figure for baht values and China's for market shares.

Volume tells a different story from value, though the periods differ. Citing Chinese customs, Seoul Economic Daily reported that for all of 2025 Vietnam supplied 941,004 tonnes of fresh durian (50.37%) and Thailand 920,749 tonnes (49.29%). As recently as four years ago Thailand effectively monopolised the market, the same report says, before Vietnam was approved to export to China in 2022.

SCMP reports that a glut among Southeast Asian exporters pushed prices down. A farmer in Pato, Chumphon, told the Seoul Economic Daily that prices are now more than 10 baht a kilo below their 2020 to 2024 peak, though his income has risen because yields went up. The same report says Malaysia, the Philippines and Cambodia are planting more durian, and that China's own plantations in Yunnan and Hainan are small but growing. It warns that a rush of new planting could cause oversupply.

A levy on the table

On 11 October, SCMP reported that a Thai draft bill would create a fund for research and sustainable development of the durian sector, to be financed in part by fees. Media have suggested an export duty of up to 2 baht a kilo, a figure SCMP calls unconfirmed. The government's public relations department announced the bill the month before. Analysts quoted by SCMP said the cost could be passed on to Chinese supermarkets, raising prices in China and possibly affecting quality.

What it means for growers

For an orchard owner, the first-half record is good news about volume. The signals on margin are weaker: prices are below the 2020 to 2024 peak by one farmer's account, Vietnam is nearly level by weight, and shipments face China's tests for Basic Yellow 2 and cadmium. Thailand has increased the number of laboratories certified to test for residues, according to the Seoul Economic Daily.

What to watch

The draft levy bill, whose rate and start date have not been confirmed, and the full-year 2026 total against the 150 billion baht target. Thailand is also trying to diversify to India, the EU and the United States, according to Seoul Economic Daily, though the fruit's smell limits its prospects in new markets.

FAQ

How much durian did Thailand export to China in 2026?

872,237 tonnes in the first half, worth 100.08 billion baht, according to Thai figures.

Is Thailand still China's main durian supplier?

By value in the first half of 2026, yes: about 81% according to Chinese customs data. By weight for all of 2025, Vietnam and Thailand were almost level at 50.37% and 49.29%.

What is the proposed durian export levy?

A draft bill would fund durian research with fees. Media have reported up to 2 baht a kilo, but the rate is unconfirmed.

Sources

durianChinaexportsVietnaminspectionsexport levy

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