Recently, Davao City Durian Industry Council (DCDIC) president Emmanuel Belviz said three exporters are waiting for approval from the China import Food Enterprises Registration (CIFER) to export frozen durians to China.

It is understood that the three exporters are Eng Seng Food Products and SQ Fresh Fruit Corp. and D 'Farmers Market Fruits and Pastries Center.

In August 2024, the import and Export Food Safety Bureau of the General Administration of Customs of China updated its note on frozen fruit: For frozen fruit products, quarantine access management is no longer implemented. This means that all kinds of frozen fruits from any region of the world, including frozen durians, can be imported into the Chinese market, and there is no need to handle the "entry animal and Plant Quarantine Permit".

According to Belviz, the export of frozen durians directly to China was not allowed before and was mainly transshipped to China through Thailand. Now that frozen fruit is free, many exporters have applied to export frozen durians directly to China. Thailand is currently the largest buyer of frozen durians from the Philippines, which has exported about 3,130 tonnes of frozen durians to Thailand this year, followed by South Korea (185 tonnes) and Malaysia (25 tonnes).

According to DCDIC data, in the first nine months of this year, Davao exported 9,351 tonnes of durian to China, more than double the 4,088 tonnes exported in the whole of 2023. Davao's exports to Singapore in the same period were only 56 tons, while Japan's were only 184 kilograms.

The durian season in Davao is still ongoing, and durians in high-altitude areas are still being harvested. Exporters will be able to export more frozen durians at the end of the season if they successfully register with the customs system.

At a forum held in mid-October, Belviz revealed the main technical and logistical issues facing Philippine durian exports to China. For example, durians cannot be dropped on the ground when picking, to ensure that the thorns on the surface are not damaged, and the skin is not crushed. Exporters also need to ensure the durian flesh is not overripe or rotten to avoid complaints from buyers.

The Philippines ranks sixth in the world in fresh durian exports, and Davao province accounts for 78% of the country's total durian production. Durian production in Davao is about 58,648 tonnes in 2022, increasing to 60,331 tonnes in 2023.