The China-Laos Railway has opened up new opportunities for Thailand’s fruit exports to China, and the fruit business in Thailand is thriving as a result.
In the first two months of this year alone, 35,000 tons of Thai durians were sold in China, an increase of 2.4 times over the same period last year.
In the durian market in Chanthaburi province, home to over 1,000 booths, business is exceptionally great this year. “My business is exceptionally great this year,” said Eiksarn, who has been doing business in the market for ten years. “China is the ‘best destination’ for Thai fruits,” he said, explaining that his Chinese clients all want high-quality durians in large quantities.
The opening of the China-Laos Railway has made it much easier and faster to transport Thai fruits to China. In the past, durians were shipped to China by road and sea, which was largely affected by the weather. Sometimes it took as long as 20 days. But now, thanks to the China-Laos Railway, it takes only three to four days for durians to get to Kunming from Thailand.
This has enabled Thailand to export more durians with higher maturity and better taste, and significantly facilitated its fruit transportation.
The thriving demand from the Chinese market has kept boosting the durian business of Thailand, and Thai farmers, buyers and exporters have seen their income on a continuous rise.
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said Thailand hopes to further expand its fruit exports to China this year.
“China is an important trading partner of Thailand, especially in the fields of agricultural products and fruits. Thai fruits are expected to hit the global market faster with the assistance from China, which helps Thailand in building itself into a major trading country of tropical fruits,” he explained.
The China-Laos Railway is a major boost to Thailand’s fruit exports to China, and it is expected to continue to grow in the years to come.
