In May, Chinese traders visiting Davao City were requesting more frozen durian than what was available. Later this month, growers and exporters from around Asia will meet to discuss ways to meet this growing demand.
Business World reported that the durian industry needs to address land conversion as the area dedicated to growing durian is in decline.
Davao City Durian Industry Council president, Candelario Miculob, said while the Philippines has a much smaller portion of land dedicated to planting durian compared with other Asian countries, their August to October season fills a gap in other nation’s off-periods.
The country has around 16,000ha dedicated to durian planting, compared with over 96,000 in Thailand, 70,000 in Malaysia, and 50,000 in Indonesia.
“We have the opportunity to supply because in August, September and October, there is no production in other countries. These are the opportunities that we hope to take advantage of,” said Miculob.
Miculob mentioned there will be a solid crop this year, and predicts that growers will harvest around 48 tonnes of durian in the coming season.
