The Department of Agriculture (DA) – Caraga through the High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) is now preparing the local farmers in the region to produce export quality durian through a Training on Durian Production and Marketing Opportunities on January 30–February 1 at the ATI-RTC XIII Training Center, Butuan City.

 

The three-day training is in coordination with the Bureau of Plant Industry to provide capacity building to local farmers, agriculture technicians, and DA-Caraga personnel on production techniques, good agricultural practices, protocol on nursery management, and protocol on the exportation of durian fruits.

 

The training is part of DA-Caraga’s action in line with DA’s production expansion of durian in the country following the recent state visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wherein he secured a USD 2 billion fruit export deal with China.

 

Currently, the Caraga region has an existing area of 1,315 hectares of durian. To meet and sustain the demands of the Chinese market for fresh durians, the DA-Caraga HVCDP has identified 2,154 hectares as a potential area for expansion in the region.

 

Moreover, Emmanuel Belviz, President of the Durian Industry Association of Davao City, said that China’s ever-growing demand for durian is expected to drive global trade growth for the durian industry, with demand expected to reach USD 28 billion by 2025.

 

John Tan, President of Eng Seng Food Products & Group of Companies also shared his experiences with exporting durian, underscoring the need to focus on quality and consistently uphold the export quality standards.

 

At present, the Philippines is China’s largest source of bananas and pineapples. Soon the “King of Fruits” durian, will be exported to China.