China's Billion-Dollar Craze for Durian Is Transforming Laos Forests

Durian, the spiky tropical fruit with a stinky smell and sweet taste, has become a viral delicacy in China. Its popularity is driven by the “blind box” type of videos on social media, where content creators open durians and show off the pulp. China makes up 91% of global durian consumption, with most imported from Thailand. But Chinese fruit producers are increasingly looking toward a neighboring country with vast uncultivated land: Laos.

Chinese fruit supplier Jiarun Agriculture plans to pour in $400 million to build the world's largest durian plantation at the heart of Laos’ primary rainforests, in Attapeu. In 2021, Jiarun secured a lease for 5,000 hectares of land, near the country’s deforestation front defined by WWF.

Jiarun is among a number of Chinese firms recently establishing durian farms in Laos. This investment craze is further fueled by the opening of the Laos-China Railway, a major project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has significantly shortened the traveling time between the two countries.

What is the potential impact on the rainforest and biodiversity? How do locals fare in this? Is the durian hype a boon or a curse for Laos? This project delves into the emerging Chinese durian farming scene in Laos, and its environmental, economic, and social impacts.