Thai durian exporters and orchard owners have expressed serious concern that China’s recent imposition of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification.
The system for ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards, on Thailand’s “king of fruits” will negatively affect durian exports to China and suppress the price of the fruit.
Only about 20% of durian exporters in Thailand’s southern provinces, and about 50% of the exporters in the northeastern region, have GMP certification, according to durian trading sources.
There are fears that, if the number of exporters who buy durian for export to China is substantially reduced because of imposition of GMP, the price of durian may drop to less than 100 baht per kg.
The sources pointed out that the harvest season in the South is due to start at the end of this month and lasts through August. About 400,000 tonnes of southern durian are expected to be harvested this season.
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