THANKS to a surge in online orders from China, fruits have overtaken rice for the first time to become Thailand’s top farm exports.

Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce said fruit exports earned US$4.1 billion in 2020 while rice made US$3.7 billion.

The boost in revenue comes as the Thai Government launched an online pre-order system and cooperated with Chinese e-commerce platforms to sell top-grade durian. Thai durian farmers would ship fresh fruits to China as soon as they received the orders.

“Selling online is a real innovation for farmers. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand agreed to a partnership with Chinese dealers and encouraged us to do online marketing,” durian farmer Soonthorn Nopphunt said brightly.

Despite COVID-19, exports of Thai durian to China soared by 78 percent in 2020 and further 14 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Durian — having a “love it or hate it” reputation — is becoming increasingly popular in China. The Thai durian sales to China accounted for three-fourths of all exports last year, totaling US$1.5 billion.

Besides durian, mango, mangosteen and longan from Thailand are also Chinese consumers’ favorites. The love for fruits, a move to healthier eating and a rising purchasing power of Chinese consumers are expected to continuously boost Thai’s fruit export.

(SD-Agencies)