Philippine growers and exporters are meeting later this month at the 2nd Durian Summit, hoping to find ways to meet Chinese demand for frozen durian. Davao City Durian Industry Council (DCDIC) President, Candelario B. Miculob, said Chinese traders were in town in May, looking for more frozen durian than was, in fact, available.

“They did not set a limit for the quantity. The only problem is we have limited processing capacity. The Chinese want frozen durian… it is easier to export and it is also advantageous for us."

Thailand has the biggest durian farming area, with more than 96,000 hectares, followed by Malaysia with more than 70,000 ha, and Indonesia with around 50,000 ha. The Philippines, on the other hand, only have 16,000 ha, mainly in Mindanao. But while the Philippines have a much smaller area planted to durian compared with the three other south-east Asian countries, the August to October harvest period here coincides with the off season in these other exporting nations.

“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,” he said.

Bworldonline.com reports that apart from increasing production and expanding processing capacity, the industry also needs to address the declining area planted to durian due to rapid land conversion.

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