Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand is on course to become the world’s largestdurian producer over the next five years, however, it is at risk of losing outto neighbouring exporters of the king of fruit, experts have warned.

Director of the Centre for International Trade Studies at the University of theThai Chamber of Commerce Aat Pisanwanich said that with 30 percent growth indurian-planting areas in the country in the past decade, durian production ispredicted to rise by 83 percent during 2021-2025.

The average annual amount of durian produced in this period is tipped to be2.02 million tonnes, compared to 1.11 million tonnes recorded last year, headded, stressing this will be the largest amount of durian production in theworld.

At present, Thailand is second after Indonesia, which produces the world’slargest volume of 1.2 million tonnes of durian per year.

The quantityof durian production in Thailand rose by 6,000 tonnes per year between 2011 and2016, he said.

Between 2017 and last year, the amount jumped by 140,000 tonnes per year, morethan 20 times higher, Aat said.

Thailand's neighbours have also been expanding their durian-growing areas, hesaid, adding durian production in Malaysia has in recent years grown by 42percent, while Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam have seen a 32 percent,40 percent and 20 percent growth in durian production respectively.

As a result, Thailand is now projected to lose its durian export market sharefrom about 80 percent last year to about 57 percent by 2025, said Aat.

The world's total volume of durian exports is predicted in the next five yearsto rise by 350,000 tonnes per year from only 130,000 tonnes per year as seen inthe past decade.

Meanwhile, the world's durian exports are forecast to rise by 134.5 percent to1.8 million tonnes by 2025, compared to a 48.3 percent rise in 2020, he said./.