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โครงการหนังสออเล็กทรอนกสด้านการเกษตร เฉลมพระเกียรตพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว

On August 22, 2022, “Zhou Liu Lian”, the largest Chinese brand of frozen,
ripe-on-tree Thai durian, was launched by JOY WING MAU (鑫荣懋), one
of the largest fruit importers in China. Thailand historically has focused
on the fresh durian market, sending out the fruit picked at about 80%
ripeness. Does this launch signal a trend to move out of its comfort
zone in response to new consumer demands in China? How far would
Thai fruits go on the road of “differentiatio by brands”?

A few days later, on September 5, HONGJIU FRUIT (洪九果品) became the
first Chinese fruit company listed on HKEX with a market capitalization of
HK$19 billion. HONGJIU, also the largest durian distributor in China, buys the
fruit directly from Thai orchards, processes it in its local factories in Thailand
and distributes it through its sorting centres in China. Such a model of
“supply chain integration” (SCI) is also adopted by other Chinese players such
as PAGODA (百果园). How can SCI assist Thai fruit exports to China?

On September 19, a fortnight later, two containers of fresh MonThong
durian from Vietnam arrived at Ping Xiang (凭祥) Railway Station, China.
Durian from Vietnam, with the Chinese offcial approval, arrived eventually.
So did the first batch of Longan from Pailin, Cambodia, on October 27.
How will Thailand fare in the scramble for the Chinese fruit market
vis-a-vie the ASEAN newcomers?

Contrary to the pessimistic views on Chinese ZCP (Zero Covid Policy) in the
early months of 2022, durian exports from Thailand to China from January
to July 2022 outperformed the same period in 2021. What has really
happened to the fruit logistics under Covid 19? What lessons may we learn?

News like the above flooded in during the last few months when this book
was conceived. The winds of change herald new challenges and opportunities.

The top five imported fruits of China by value in 2022 are: durian, cherry,
banana, mangosteen, and coconut, and the top three source countries are
Thailand, Chile and Vietnam. China continues to be the largest market for
Thai fruits.

Prologue 3