According to China Report Hall, durian, a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia, has gained a large number of fans in the Chinese market with its unique flavor and rich nutrition. In recent years, the popularity of my country’s durian market has continued to rise, consumer demand has continued to grow, and imports have also increased significantly. Against this background, the development of the domestic durian industry has attracted much attention. It covers multiple fields such as planting, scientific research, and processing, and is in a stage of rapid development. In 2025, the development of the durian industry faces both many opportunities and some challenges, and the prospects are worth in-depth discussion.

1. Global durian industry: stable structure, intensified competition

The “2025-2030 Global and Chinese Durian Industry Market Status Survey and Development Prospects Analysis Report” points out that at present, the world’s main durian producing countries are mainly Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, and the cultivation area of ​​these three countries is nearly 250,000 hectares. In 2021, the total durian production in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia was about 1 million, 600,000 and 400,000 tons respectively, and Indonesia’s total production also reached 1 million tons. However, due to issues such as variety and transportation costs, its popularity in the international market is relatively low. In terms of exports, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia are the main durian exporters. Mainland China is the world’s largest durian import market, and its imports in 2022 accounted for about 80% of the world’s total imports.

In recent years, Vietnam’s durian industry has developed rapidly, and its planting area reached 110,000 hectares in 2023. With lower purchase prices, shorter transportation distances and costs, the competitiveness of Vietnamese durian in the Chinese market continues to increase. In the first half of 2023, Vietnam’s total durian exports increased by nearly 19 times year-on-year to US$876 million, of which my country accounted for 95% of its total exports.

2. Durian consumption in my country: strong demand and changing import structure

In my country, durian has become the single fruit with the largest import value and a steadily growing import volume. In 2023, my country’s total import volume of fresh durian reached 1.4259 million tons, with an import value of US$6.715 billion, up 72.87% and 65.56% year-on-year respectively, accounting for 35.68% of my country’s total fruit imports that year.

Previously, my country imported fresh durian mainly from Thailand. In 2022, the quantity and value of fresh durian imported from Thailand accounted for 95.04% and 95.34% of the total volume and value of fresh durian imported by my country, respectively. However, as fresh durian from Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and other countries have been approved for export to China, my country’s durian import sources have become increasingly diversified. The opening of new land transport channels such as the China-Laos Railway and the China-Vietnam Railway has further reduced transportation costs and time, increased the supply of durian, and also reduced market prices to a certain extent.

3. Domestic durian cultivation: partial breakthrough, but still small scale

In order to meet the huge domestic consumer demand, Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Taiwan and other provinces (regions) in China have tried to introduce and cultivate durian. However, durian growth requires a warm and humid climate all year round. At present, only southern Hainan (such as Sanya, Baoting, Ledong and Lingshui, etc.) and southern Taiwan (Pingtung) have successfully planted and achieved small-scale cultivation. In 2024, the trial planting of golden pillow durian in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province also achieved initial results. The 5-year-old durian successfully bloomed and bore fruit, with a sugar content of over 34 degrees, but there is still a long way to go before large-scale cultivation and large-scale supply to the market.

Hainan is the province with the largest durian planting area in my country. Its southern region is at a similar latitude to Chiang Mai, the main durian producing area in Thailand, and has suitable climatic conditions. Hainan introduced durian germplasm resources as early as 1958, but in the early days it was only for display and no production cultivation research was conducted. It was not until 2019 that the durian trees in Baoting successfully bore fruit, breaking the assertion that “Hainan is not suitable for durian cultivation.” As of April 2024, the scale of durian planting in Hainan exceeds 2,666.67 hectares, and the main varieties include Golden Pillow, Musang King, Gan Yao and Black Thorn. The fruit-bearing area in 2024 is about 266.67 hectares, and the total output is about 250t.

4. Scientific research progress: Multi-field exploration, initial results

1. Germplasm resources and breeding

At present, durian cultivation in my country mainly relies on introduction from abroad, and lacks excellent varieties bred independently. Although several varieties such as Golden Pillow and Musang King have been introduced, the research foundation in resource evaluation, identification, domestication and breeding is weak. Some scientific research institutions are actively carrying out related work, collecting germplasm resources and evaluating them, trying to screen out varieties suitable for local growth, and trying independent breeding.

Due to the relatively little basic research on durian genetics, the seedling market is in chaos and varieties are difficult to distinguish. However, some studies have used molecular marker technology to distinguish and analyze the genetic diversity of introduced durian germplasm resources, providing a certain theoretical basis for subsequent breeding work. In the sales process, there are also studies that accurately distinguish durian varieties by analyzing the flavor substances in the flesh to crack down on the behavior of unscrupulous merchants selling inferior products as good ones.

(ii) Cultivation techniques

The growth and development patterns and cultivation management of durian in China are different from those in its place of origin. During the planting process, problems such as seedling stiffness, seedling death, and low fruit setting rate occurred. In order to solve these problems, a series of studies have been carried out in China. For example, Sanya has increased the survival rate of durian seedlings from 30% to more than 90% through cooperation with various parties.

In terms of planting patterns, the study found that the intercropping pattern of betel nut and durian is conducive to the growth of young durian trees. In terms of pollination and fruit setting, the pollen yield and pollen germination rate of different varieties of durian were clarified, providing theoretical guidance for the selection of pollination trees and artificial pollination. But overall, my country has not yet formed a standard durian cultivation technology protocol.

3. Yield and quality formation mechanism

In order to improve the yield and quality of durian, domestic research has been carried out on the mechanism of its yield and quality formation. The study found that some members of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) gene and the acid invertase (AI) gene family may play an important role in the development and sugar accumulation of durian fruit.

(IV) Research on stress resistance

Durian is sensitive to environmental changes and is easily affected by strong winds, low temperatures, and hot and dry weather. Domestic research has screened out some relatively cold-resistant varieties and explored ways to improve durian’s cold resistance by improving cultivation measures. In terms of pest and disease control, although the types of durian pests and diseases in my country are basically the same as those in foreign countries, it is still necessary to conduct research on the differences in disease patterns at home and abroad, strengthen import quarantine, and develop new pesticides.

(V) Postharvest preservation and flavor research

Post-harvest preservation of durian is a key link in the development of the industry. Since durian is a respiratory climacteric fruit, long-distance transportation can easily lead to fruit softening, cracking and rotting, with a corruption rate as high as 40%-45%. Domestic research on preservation technology is in its infancy, while foreign countries mainly focus on frozen preservation of fruit flesh. Recent studies have found that specific fumigation and storage conditions can extend the storage period of durian, and low-temperature treatment can also inhibit fruit softening.

In terms of flavor research, it has been clarified that the unique flavor of durian is determined by a variety of volatile compounds. Some methods of removing unpleasant flavors have also been explored, such as enzymatic hydrolysis and microwave treatment. Odorless durian varieties have also been bred through breeding.

(VI) Research on waste utilization

Durian waste mainly includes husks and seeds, accounting for about 74% of the fresh weight of the fruit. Analysis of the current status of the durian industry development shows that in 2023, my country will import 1.42 million tons of fresh durian fruit, generating about 1 million tons of waste. At present, research on the utilization of durian waste continues to deepen, such as using husks to produce biochar, which can be used to adsorb and remove uranyl ions in wastewater, and can also be used as supercapacitor electrode materials; durian seeds can be ground into powder to replace grains to make pasta, and their seed gum can be used as a thickener, emulsifier and stabilizer.

5. Industry prospects: opportunities and challenges coexist

Domestic durian has the advantage of being “ripened on the tree” and tastes better. Taking Sanya as an example, its climate conditions are excellent, and the sunshine time is longer than Thailand and Malaysia. The durian quality is better, and the average sugar content of the flesh exceeds 38 degrees, which is much higher than the 25-30 degrees of imported durian. However, the domestic durian industry is currently facing problems such as high production costs and low yields due to lack of excellent varieties. In the future, it can be positioned in the high-end and high-quality market.

As the domestic durian planting area expands, scientific research is also accelerating. In the future, we should strengthen pre-harvest research, focus on breeding new varieties that are cold-resistant and wind-resistant, and develop supporting cultivation techniques and pest and disease control techniques. Just like rubber tree planting has broken through geographical restrictions, I believe that through the efforts of scientific researchers, durian can also be cultivated on a large scale in my country, expand the planting area, and reduce production costs.

In summary, the durian industry has broad prospects for development in 2025, but it also faces challenges. In the global market, the durian industry of various countries is in fierce competition, and the rise of countries such as Vietnam has brought changes to the market structure. my country’s durian consumption market continues to be hot, and the import structure is constantly adjusting. Although there has been progress in domestic planting, it is still in the early stages of development and needs to increase investment in scientific research to solve key issues such as varieties and technologies. Through reasonable planning and technological innovation, my country’s durian industry is expected to achieve greater development, while meeting domestic consumer demand and enhancing its competitiveness in the international market.