Durian prices in China have fallen sharply, with some supermarkets and neighborhood fruit shops offering Musang King durians at 19.9 yuan per jin and Vietnamese Musang King wholesale prices dropping below 15 yuan per jin, according to Jiemian News. In Guangzhou's Jiangnan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market, the lowest wholesale price for Vietnamese B-grade Musang King durians recently fell to 13.8 yuan per jin, while many secondary-grade supplies were priced below 15 yuan per jin.

Jiemian News reported that the decline has been driven by a combination of peak Southeast Asian harvests, more import sources, lower logistics costs and weaker market turnover. It said Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia are expected to produce more than 4.5 million tons of durians this year, while China's annual fresh durian imports are expected to exceed 2 million tons only slightly. On July 22, China's General Administration of Customs deputy head Wang Jun said at a State Council Information Office briefing that China had approved durian imports from five countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos, and that last year's durian imports reached 1.868 million tons, double the 2022 level.

The article said cold-chain and transport improvements have also reduced losses, with durians from Southeast Asia to Kunming now taking as little as 26 hours, versus 5 to 7 days previously, and spoilage rates falling from as high as 20% to 30% to below 5%. It added that some retailers and wholesalers have cut prices to clear inventory as arrivals outpace sales, while analysts expect prices to stay low in the near term before recovering modestly when the Southeast Asian harvest season ends.