The southwestern Chinese megacity of Chongqing on Sunday (11 June) welcomed the first direct cold-chain train of Thai durians transported via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.
150,000 durians from Thailand were first transported by road to Laos, where they were then loaded on a train that traveled into China via the China-Laos Railway.
According to Deng Haoji, Chief Operating Officer of Hongjiu Fruit, the company that purchased the durians, the entire journey took four days – down from 8-10 days on previous maritime routes.
Deng said, “For fruit importers, time is money and every hour is precious. This durian train has reduced costs, as well as losses during the transportation.”
The majority of the durians will enter markets in Chongqing, while the rest will continue the train journey to reach the neighboring province of Sichuan.
Durians are among a growing number of agricultural products from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that have expanded entry into the Chinese market. This has been made possible due to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and improvements in cross-border transport infrastructure.
In 2022, China imported 825,000 tonnes of durian, 780,000 tonnes of which came from Thailand, according to customs data. (NNT)
