The Department of Agriculture (DA) is preparing to expand the production of durian among other high value crops in the country following the recent state visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wherein he secured a USD2-billion fruit export deal with China.
“One of the focal points of the discussion is the durian imports by China all over the world. We are pinpointed as one of the sources that China would like to avail from and they have allocated USD260 million initially to start off the project from the Philippines,” DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said.
To meet and sustain the demands of the Chinese market for fresh durians, Undersecretary Panganiban and Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel De Mesa discussed the necessary measures with concerned Regional Executive Directors (REDs) and Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) officials on January 9, 2023.
“We hope and anticipate that this will be a major breakthrough that we should avail of and hope that we should be able to maintain a good relationship with China in the long run,” the Undersecretary said.
During the meeting, he directed the REDs to immediately identify the potential areas for expansion and formulate the necessary work and financial plans to sustain the durian export. In coordination with the BPI and the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) led by Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban, the Regional Field Offices (RFOs) will also conduct capacity building activities, ensure the production of market preferred varieties, develop packing houses, and assist in marketing.
Director Panganiban also committed that the BPI will provide support in accreditation, PhilGAP certification, and protocol implementation, among others. The REDs are expected to present their action plans in the next DA Operations Management Group meeting.
On January 4, 2023, the Philippines and China signed the “Protocol of the Phytosanitary Requirements for Export of Fresh Durians from the Philippines to China,” which opens up the Chinese market for an estimated amount of 50,000 metric tons of fresh durian.
Initially, the durian will be exported from the list of registered farms in major durian production areas of Davao City, Davao del Sur, and North Cotabato. Moreover, the project is expected to generate at least 10,000 direct and indirect jobs from the bilateral venture.
Chinese companies including the Dole (Shanghai) Fruits and Vegetables Trading Co., Ltd/Dole China, Prestige International Co. Ltd., Shanghai Goodfarmer Group, and the Dashang Group already made purchase commitments worth USD 260 million for 2023. ### (Gumamela Bejarin, DA-AFID)
