Philippines prepares for durian export to China

MANILA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Agriculture is preparing to expand the production of durian, among other high-value crops, following the Southeast Asian country signing a durian export agreement with China.

In a statement released Wednesday, Agriculture senior undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said on durian imports by China, the Philippines was "pinpointed as one of the sources that China would like to avail from"

To meet and sustain the demands of the billion-scale Chinese market for fresh durians, the Philippine Department of Agriculture has directed regional directors to immediately identify the potential areas for expansion and formulate the necessary work and financial plans to sustain the durian export.

"We hope and anticipate that this will be a major breakthrough that we should avail of and hope that we should be able to maintain a good relationship with China in the long run," Panganiban said.

On Jan. 4, the Philippines and China signed a protocol on the export of fresh durian, which opened up the Chinese market for this tropical fruit that is widely grown in the Southeast Asia region.

According to an initial report from the Philippine Department of Agriculture, the project is expected to generate at least 10,000 direct and indirect jobs.