'Durian diplomacy': Indonesia aims to begin exports of frozen durians to China this year
China is turning to the king of fruits to sweeten ties with Southeast Asia countries, amid its bitter superpower rivalry with the United States.
Indonesia has set its sights on China's lucrative durian market, with imports of the pungent fruit valued at nearly US$7 billion last year.
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PARIGI MOUTONG, Indonesia: Indonesia is looking to kickstart exports of frozen durians to China later this year, after a landmark supply agreement between both countries is finalised.
This comes as the two sides mark their 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.
Purchasing the king of fruits is China’s latest charm offensive towards countries in Southeast Asia, in efforts to sweeten ties with the region amid its bitter superpower rivalry with the United States.
In what has been popularly labelled “durian diplomacy”, Beijing has pledged to open up its growing domestic market and import more durians from nations in Southeast Asia.
CHINA’S GROWING DURIAN MARKET
Indonesia has set its sights on China's massive appetite for durians, with imports of the pungent fruit valued at nearly US$7 billion last year.
It believes this will pave the way for other lucrative export destinations, where more durian lovers can explore its range of variants of the fruit.
Parigi Moutong, a regency in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province, is well-known for its Monthong durians.
Monthong durians are originally from Thailand, but are now also widely cultivated in Indonesia and Vietnam.
This durian variant is large, usually weighing about 3kg to 5kg. It has a creamy texture and a sweet taste, with smaller seeds and thicker flesh compared with most other varieties.
While Indonesian Monthong durians in their frozen form are already available in China, they are currently exported through Thailand.
Now, a direct supply chain is within reach.
“If we ship via Thailand, it takes about a month to get to China,” said Muhammad Tahir, director of PT Ammar Durian Indonesia.
“If we can go directly from Pantoloan port (in Palu in Central Sulawesi) to China, it will only take about a week.”
Tahir added that the cost of shipping the durians directly to China will be half the price of exporting them through Thailand.
Last year, the company shipped 30 containers of durians. It expects to increase exports to 50 containers once direct routes to China are established.
China has implemented stringent export protocols for durians, requiring Indonesian farmers and suppliers to adhere to rigorous standards. These include the Good Agriculture Practices, Good Handling Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices to ensure a high level of quality control.
The entire durian supply chain must also be fully traceable, offering transparency and accountability throughout the export process.
“Starting from the plantation, until it has been packed (and) ready to be sent, it must be traceable,” said Ahmad Mansuri Alfian, who heads the Animal, Fish and Plant Quarantine Centre in Central Sulawesi.
“The Indonesian Quarantine Agency has created an application where the system will use a barcode,” he added.
The application allows officials to simply scan a barcode to find out whether the product is from a certain packing house or plantation.
SUPPORTING DURIAN FARMERS
PT Silvia Amerta Jaya is one of 14 durian processing facilities in Parigi Moutong which has registered to export its frozen durians directly to China.
The company, which has a network of 500 durian farmers in the regency, is also pursuing accreditation to export fresh durians to the vast Chinese market.
“We want to increase the number of trees on our farm,” said its director Ni Made Ayu Ningsih.
“We always (work) with the community. If there is an empty piece of land, we say: Let's plant this commodity together,” she added.
Central Sulawesi has about 30,000 hectares of durian farmland, but only 10 per cent of it has received accreditation from local authorities.
Most farmers still use simple agriculture practices.
“We hope to equip farmers with drones and more modern agricultural tools,” said I Wayan Wardika, staff analyst at the Department of Food Crops, Horticulture and Plantations in Parigi Moutong.
“This means we need to adjust the budget provided by the local government.”
STRENGTHENING TIES
Indonesia's anticipated direct durian export to China is facilitated by good relations between the two sides, said observers.
Last November, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited China just a month after assuming office.
“During this state visit by the president, we agreed to a protocol for coconuts from Indonesia. We're still working on durians and I don't think we are very far from that,” said Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Wang Lutong.
“The Chinese consumers love Indonesian food (and) fruits, and we see a lot of market access to China.”
Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture has catalogued more than 100 local durian variants across the country.
It has also identified five premium variants with strong export potential and earmarked them for large-scale development.
Liferdi Lukman, director of fruit and floriculture at the ministry, said: “We have had a programme since 2024, starting in five provinces, to plant durians that we predict can penetrate later in the global market.
“So these shoots come from the seeds of each durian variety of around 1,000 trees."
The nation is one of the top producers of durians in the world, yielding about 1.2 million tonnes of the fruit per year. But its supplies cater predominantly to its domestic market.
"Why has the durian trade cake been dominated by Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia?" said Liferdi.
"We do not want to be the largest producer of durian in the world but remain just as mere spectators."
