Cultivation in Yunnan paves the way for 'durian freedom'

The durian, known as the "king of tropical fruits" and native to Southeast Asia, has been successfully trialed in Yunnan province, raising hopes that Chinese consumers may enjoy more locally-grown durians, according to Yunnan.cn, a local news outlet.

Recently, several villagers in Jinghong city and Mengla county in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture shared videos of their ripened durians. Jia Guohua, a farmer in Mengla, said his tree produced 16 fruits this year, a surprising result from a durian seed he had discarded a decade ago.

As a major consumer of durians, China has long relied on imports from countries like Thailand and Vietnam to meet market demand.