Once known as the "king of fruits" with a prohibitive price tag, durian has recently seen its price plunge by nearly half, leading many consumers to cheer the arrival of "durian freedom." Behind this phenomenon, the China-Laos Railway, hailed as a "golden route" for import and export trade, is playing a key role.
The daily import volume of durians and other tropical fruits via the China-Laos Railway has now exceeded 2,000 tons. According to customs data, as of the end of August this year, the annual import of fresh durians had surpassed 155,000 tons, marking a year-on-year increase of more than 90 percent.
This year, durian production in eastern Thailand increased by 30 percent, while durians from Vietnam and Malaysia have also entered the domestic market. The daily import volume of durians and other tropical fruits via the China-Laos Railway has now exceeded 2,000 tons. According to customs data, as of the end of August this year, the annual import of fresh durians had surpassed 155,000 tons, marking a year-on-year increase of more than 90 percent.
With the launch of the "Yunnan-Vientiane Express," transportation costs for Southeast Asian fruits have fallen by 60 percent compared to traditional land routes, while average terminal market prices have dropped by 30 percent. In fruit shops across cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the stocking frequency of durians has risen from twice a week to daily restocking, allowing consumers to purchase fresher and more affordable durians with greater ease. Since May this year, as durians, mangosteens, longans, mangoes and other tropical fruits have come into season, the total volume of tropical fruits transported via the China-Laos Railway has grown by 65 percent year-on-year. This has not only enriched the variety of fruit available in the domestic market but has also driven the transformation and upgrading of the entire fruit industry chain, from cultivation and harvesting to transportation and sales.
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