KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — A port operator in northeastern China is building a new fruit transit centre to speed up shipments of Southeast Asia’s coveted durians to Chinese consumers.
Liaoning Port Group, which manages the key sea terminal in Dalian, began construction of the Dalian Northeast Asia Fruit Transit Centre in late August, a company representative confirmed.
According to the South China Morning Post, the facility will complement a new “durian express” shipping service, launched on August 26, which promises delivery times as short as six days compared with up to 12 previously.
The service is expected to handle about 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of durians annually, with one TEU equal to a standard 20-foot container.
Analysts said northeastern China‘s population of 100 million is showing stronger appetite for durians, but distance from Southeast Asia has long made it difficult to ensure freshness.
Malaysian durian expert Lim Chin Khee said consumers in the northeast are curious about the fruit, though logistics challenges have kept the market underdeveloped compared with southern China.
Liaoning Port Group said it also plans to create a full fruit import ecosystem in Dalian, including ripening, processing, packaging and distribution.
Dalian has already built China’s largest cold-chain logistics park with 400,000 tonnes of storage, while streamlined customs clearance now reduces spoilage by cutting processing to as little as one or two days.
