(MindaNews / 06 June) – The foreign market for durian, which is mainly produced in the Davao region, is expanding, with Egypt as the newest destination .

The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) has confirmed that the Philippines has gained official market access in Egypt for durian, a thorny fruit despised by some for its stinky smell but loved by others for its creamy meat. Durian is called the “king of fruits.”

In a post on its Facebook page, the BPI, an agency under the Department of Agriculture, said the durian market access, granted last month, was a result of about two years of technical negotiations, pest risk assessments, and regulatory cooperation between the Philippines and the Arab Republic of Egypt.

“This reflects regulatory compliance and growing confidence in the country’s plant health and safety systems,” the BPI said.

In 2021, the Philippines yielded at least 73,867 metric tons of fresh durian, with the Davao region as the top producer, accounting for 78% of the country’s total durian production, data from the Department of Trade and Industry showed. The country has a well-established durian market in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong, and South Korea and China.

The foreign durian market for the Philippines is dominated by China, which imported 89 percent in 2023, the state-run Philippine News Agency reported.

The BPI said that to facilitate shipments to Egypt, Philippine exporters must ensure that Egyptian importers obtain an import permit through the Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine’s electronic system.

Once the permit is secured and all phytosanitary requirements are fulfilled, the BPI will issue a phytosanitary certificate verifying that the durian is pest-free.

Only after these steps are completed can shipments to the Egyptian market proceed.

The path to market access began in June 2023, when the Philippines formally expressed its intent to export fresh durian to Egypt. Since then, BPI has actively collaborated with Egypt’s Central Administration for Plant Quarantine (CAPQ), addressing key concerns related to pest surveillance, phytosanitary measures, and export protocols.

In 2024, the Philippines exported 14,156.87 metric tons of fresh durian to various international destinations—a remarkable 199.23% increase from 2023—highlighting the growing global demand for Philippine durian, BPI data showed.

With Egypt now added to the list of importing countries, durian farmers, especially those in Mindanao—the heartland of Philippine durian—can look forward to expanded income and market opportunities, the agency said.

The opening of this new market underscores the global competitiveness of Philippine durian and offers fresh opportunities for Filipino farmers and exporters to showcase world-class produce, increase earnings, and contribute to a more dynamic and resilient agricultural sector, BPI said. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)