Thai fresh fruits on further uptrend for Chinese market

Thai fresh fruits have secured a quantitative increase in export to China via Laos and Vietnam, exporters said here Tuesday.

The export of fresh durian, mangosteen and longan from Thailand to China rose substantially last year with trends of further increase in volume throughout this year, said Sanchai Puranachaikiri, president of the Thai Fresh Fruit Traders and Exporters Association.

The Thai fruits exported to China, more than 200 million U.S. dollars in yearly earnings, have been transported on R3A road in Laos and on R9 road in Vietnam en route to southern and south- central China, he said.

"Export by land to China saves three to four days, compared to export by sea to Hong Kong, which might take more than 10 days," he said.

However, most of the fresh durian from Thailand are transported by sea-going vessels which have better cold storage facilities than road-running trucks, he added.