The "Digital Evolution Theory" of a Durian
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, and bilateral economic and trade cooperation has achieved remarkable results. According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, the bilateral trade volume between China and Thailand in 2024 was 133.[China Matters] From the "Digital Evolution Theory" of a Durian to the Opening of a New Era of Wisdom in China-Thailand Trade over 50 Years
China Daily News, July 1st.9815 billion US dollars, with a year-on-year growth of 6.1%, demonstrating a strong growth momentum. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, and bilateral economic and trade cooperation has achieved remarkable results. Against this backdrop, the durian, as a symbolic agricultural product of China-Thailand economic and trade cooperation, is now undergoing an upgrade through digital technology and industrial cooperation.
Durian Becomes the "Top Product" in China-Thailand Trade
According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, the bilateral trade volume between China and Thailand in 2024 was 133.9815 billion US dollars, with a year-on-year growth of 6.1%, demonstrating a strong growth momentum.Among various trade categories, durian, with its unique flavor of "smelling bad but tasting good", occupies the top position in the consumption of imported food from Southeast Asia to China. Data shows that in 2024, China imported approximately 15. Against this backdrop, the durian, as a symbolic agricultural product of China-Thailand economic and trade cooperation, is now undergoing an upgrade through digital technology and industrial cooperation.
6 million tons of durian, with a total value of 6.Durian Becomes the "Top Product" in China-Thailand Trade
99 billion US dollars, setting a new record high. Nearly 60% of this was from Thailand.Among various trade categories, durian, with its unique flavor of "smelling bad but tasting good", occupies the top position in the consumption of imported food from Southeast Asia to China. Thailand is not only China's largest supplier of durian, but China also holds the position of the largest consumer of Thai durian.
Data shows that in 2024, China imported approximately 15.6 million tons of durian, with a total value of 6.99 billion US dollars, setting a new record high.Strong demand has driven changes in Thailand's agricultural structure: Over the past few decades, many Thai farmers have shifted from growing longan and mangosteen to growing durian in pursuit of higher profits. Nearly 60% of this was from Thailand. However, durian cultivation faces significant challenges: The tree saplings take seven to eight years to mature, and the harvest is vulnerable to weather, diseases, and soil quality. Thailand is not only China's largest supplier of durian, but China also holds the position of the largest consumer of Thai durian.
Farmers can only "let fate decide" due to these factors.Strong demand has driven changes in Thailand's agricultural structure: Over the past few decades, many Thai farmers have shifted from growing longan and mangosteen to growing durian in pursuit of higher profits. Chord Chanbuppha, a 56-year-old farmer from Chonphong Province, a major tropical fruit production area in Thailand, said: "The tropical weather is changeable, and we can only water the orchards based on experience."
From "Experience-based Cultivation" to "Data-driven" - Chinese Wisdom Empowering Thailand's Agricultural Modernization
Today, to meet the growing global demand and increase production, Chinese agricultural experts are actively assisting Thailand's durian industry in modernizing and upgrading. Zhou Zhaoxi, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, pointed out that although Thailand has over 200 varieties of durians and favorable natural conditions, the lack of modern agricultural equipment restricts the industrial upgrading. Take the water and fertilizer integration technology as an example. This system covers 70%-80% of large-scale farms in China's medium-sized agricultural enterprises, but is extremely rare in Thai orchards. Moreover, the application rate of dwarf cultivation technology in Thailand is also low.
Under the framework of China-Thailand cooperation, the implementation of technology has shown practical results. Jiao De is one of the many farmers in Chonburi Province who have benefited from Chinese agricultural technology. With the support of the Chinese agricultural department, his orchard was upgraded and modernized with the help of the Chinese enterprise Baoyan Technology last year. This 8-hectare durian pilot orchard has 640 young durian trees. The orchard introduced the water and fertilizer integration system, reducing water usage while doubling the fertilization efficiency; the soil detection system collects data on minerals, humidity, and pH values in real time, combined with weather forecasts and pest and disease monitoring data, and realizes scientific planting guidance through the cloud system.
"Smart solutions significantly reduce labor costs and improve planting efficiency," said Chang Canxian, the general manager of Baoyan Technology's Southeast Asia operations. Currently, they have helped three Thai farms complete intelligent upgrades and have expanded their business to countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam. The data from the Chonburi Chamber of Commerce shows that this year, the region is expected to export 800,000 tons of durians, with nearly 90% sold to China, and digitization is becoming a dual engine for production capacity and exports.
To help Thai durian farmers cope with various uncertainties, the Thailand Digital Economy Promotion Agency launched the "Digital Durian Project" at the end of last year, aiming to promote agricultural modernization through intelligent technologies such as recording, storing, and tracking crop data via applications, and to form a synergy with Chinese and Thai enterprises.
Thanachot Nontakatrakool, an economic researcher at Bangkok Bank, pointed out that durian has risen from a regional delicacy in Southeast Asia to a global consumption hotspot - in the European and American markets, it appears in fusion desserts, high-end grocery stores, and limited products of multinational food chains. With technological empowerment, the Thai durian industry is breaking through the limitation of "relying on nature" and responding to global demand growth with standardization and intelligence.
Since 2023, the Siam Group of Thailand has jointly developed a quality inspection system with the Thailand Agricultural Research and Development Agency and Huawei Cloud, replacing the traditional "knocking the fruit and listening to the sound" inspection method with infrared sensors and AI technology - the gun-shaped sensor emits near-infrared rays to collect data, and the cloud AI determines the maturity, with an accuracy rate of up to 80%, and without damaging the fruit flesh. "As data accumulates, the accuracy rate will further increase," a Thai executive said. AI will collaborate with technologies such as the Internet of Things and drones, and China is cooperating to promote agricultural digital transformation.
Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, durian trade has evolved from a single agricultural product circulation to a deep-level cooperation that includes variety improvement, digital technology, and industrial chain collaboration. The complementarity between China and Thailand in the agricultural field is injecting new growth momentum into bilateral trade, making this "spiky fruit" a vivid illustration of the technological and economic interconnection between the two countries. (Translated by Ma Rui, edited by Gao Linlin and Han He)
Source: China Daily Network