Sanya, July 22, 2024, The Europe Today: China has taken significant steps to advance scientific and technological innovation in the durian industry by establishing an alliance between the Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HNAAS) and major durian industry associations from ASEAN member states. The China-ASEAN Durian Science and Technology Innovation Alliance was launched on Saturday with the aim of fostering an open, inclusive, and mutually beneficial platform for sci-tech innovation.
The alliance seeks to enhance cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in areas such as durian planting technology, variety improvement, deep processing technology, and industrial chain innovation. The initiative was announced at the 2024 China-ASEAN Durian Industry Seminar, held from July 19 to 21 in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province.
Liu Zuokai, secretary of the leading Party members group of HNAAS, highlighted the potential of the alliance to leverage regional industrial advantages and bolster collaborative research and innovation. “The alliance will help China and ASEAN member states play an active role in collaborative research and innovation, production and processing, personnel training, and consumer market promotion,” Liu stated.
Hainan’s efforts in the durian industry have shown promising results. In 2019, the province began large-scale trial planting of durian seedlings, and by 2023, Sanya’s durian output reached approximately 50 tonnes, marking the first large-scale harvest of domestically planted durians. This year, Hainan’s durian planting area has expanded to nearly 40,000 mu (about 2,667 hectares), with an expected output of 250 tonnes.
The establishment of the China-ASEAN Durian Science and Technology Innovation Alliance underscores China’s commitment to promoting sci-tech innovation and international cooperation, enhancing the durian industry’s development, and strengthening ties with ASEAN countries.
