China: Cold-chain logistics keep China's durian craze fresh.

Storyline Cold-chain logistics keep China's durian craze fresh China is importing more durians these days, thanks to highly efficient cold-chain logistics systems. At the customs department in south China's Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, officials are inspecting the notoriously strong-smelling fruit. China is the world's largest overall consumer of durians, known as the king of fruits across Southeast Asia. Importing them by air-express has improved their freshness factor, especially for specialty durians, like these that can cost about 45 U.S. dollars. Xu Mingyan, director, south China customs brokerage services, SF Express: "The durian was picked in the orchard of Malaysia, packaged with ice and transported to local airport." Previously, durians were transported by ships or trucks which were costly forms of transit that led to higher prices. But now, thanks to the China-Laos Railway, it takes around 26 hours for the fruit to arrive. Tang Guibin, head, fruit importer: "These are Monthong durian from Thailand. They were transported from Thailand to Yunnan Province by train. The temperature of this container kept about 13 Celsius degree." Data shows that durian imports increased roughly 31 percent from January to July this year. Since 2022, China has been importing durians from five countries, including Vietnam and Malaysia. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]