China's domestic durian output much lower than estimated?

Sản lượng sầu riêng nội địa Trung Quốc thấp hơn nhiều so với ước tính? - Ảnh 1. — Durian in Hainan expected to harvest small output in June

The South China Morning Post on June 6 quoted a Chinese expert on tropical fruit as saying that domestic durian in China is expected to hit the market this month, but output could be much lower than previously estimated.

In March, CCTV reported that durian grown on Hainan Island could reach a production of up to 2,450 tons in June.

On this tropical island, farmers are preparing for a big harvest, more than four years after planting began, hoping for high profits from rising demand for the fragrant fruit, which is widely grown in Southeast Asia.

However, Feng Xuejie, director of the Tropical Fruit Plants Institute of the Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said he expected Hainan to harvest only about 50 tons of durian this year. His estimate, reported by CCTV on June 3, was only 0.005 percent of China's demand this year.

Last month, the official said the March estimate was too high, while large areas of durian acreage had yet to bear fruit. “Some of the trees that are flowering and fruiting in Hainan are still young and have not produced many fruits,” Feng said.

China consumes about 1 million tons of durian annually, but it could take several years for Hainan to supply enough durian to help lower prices in the domestic market, he said on June 4.

Furthermore, durian grown in Hainan may not be cheap, as the cost of cultivation is higher than in other Southeast Asian countries. In March, CCTV reported that the durian growing area in Hainan was nearly 700 hectares. However, by May, Mr. Feng said the total area of flowering durians there was only about 70 hectares.

Although the above figures may improve in the next 3-5 years, durian prices in China are unlikely to be affected if the total area does not exceed 20,000-30,000 hectares.

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