Cambodia Sends First Shipment of Fresh Durians to China

According to a news report by the Khmer Times, Cambodia shipped its first batch of fresh durians to China from the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port on July 17. The shipment weighed 17 metric tons and is expected to take nine days to arrive in China. If all goes smoothly, three additional containers will be ready for export soon.

This export project is a joint effort between Cambodia’s HF Fruit Company Limited and its Chinese partner. In early May, the company opened a durian packaging facility in Tboung Khmum province. According to Heng Pisith, director of the Tboung Khmum Provincial Department of Agriculture, local durians were previously exported mainly to Thailand and Vietnam. Now, successfully entering the Chinese market has undoubtedly created a new sales channel for local growers.

The smooth entry of Cambodian durians into the Chinese market is largely attributable to strong support from both governments. It took just three months to complete the entire process from the signing of the agreement to the commencement of formal exports. In April, the two governments signed the phytosanitary protocol. In June, China Customs conducted a remote compliance review. By July, China’s General Administration of Customs had updated its list of registered orchards and packaging facilities eligible to export to China. With that, all of the necessary procedures for exporting Cambodian durians to China were complete.

Cambodia currently has over 5,000 hectares of durians under cultivation, with more than 3,400 hectares in harvestable condition, yielding approximately 37,000 metric tons annually. Tboung Khmum Province is one of the main production areas, with about 950 hectares cultivated and 685 hectares harvestable, producing around 10,000 metric tons per year. Other key producing provinces include Kampot and Kampong Cham.

As of now, 112 orchards and 30 packaging facilities in Cambodia have been certified by China Customs. To enhance the added value and global competitiveness of its durians, Cambodia is actively adopting standardized management practices and advanced cold chain technologies, aiming to establish a fully integrated “planting–processing–export” industry chain.

In terms of pricing, Cambodian durians have exhibited notable trends this year. In May, prices stood at around 25,000–30,000 Cambodian riel ($6.22–7.46) per kilogram. By mid-June, as the peak harvest season began and domestic supply surged, prices declined to 15,000–20,000 riel ($3.74–4.99) per kilogram. Owing to this year’s bumper harvest, local prices have dropped further, reaching as low as 12,000 riel ($3.00) per kilogram.

On the international market, Thai durian prices also declined this year. A large harvest and increased durian production in neighboring Vietnam have intensified market competition. In 2025, wholesale prices for grade A and B Thai durians dropped below 100 Thai baht ($3.11) per kilogram for the first time, marking the lowest level in recent years. Against this backdrop, Cambodian durians still hold a certain price advantage as they enter the Chinese market.

Image: Pixabay

This article was based on a Chinese article. Read the original article.