"As soon as Sanya durians hit the shelves in store, they're sold out. Consumers are waiting for that soft, sweet bite." On July 26, at the durian plantation base in Sanya's Yucai Ecological Zone, distributor Zhang Yan from Suzhou showcased the robust growth of the durian via short videos to customers, sharing how the new season's durians are even creamier and more delicate in texture.
Sanya durians began large-scale fruiting and market release in 2023, with harvests concentrated from June to August each year. On this day, the 2026 Sanya Durian Festival—titled "The Durian is Ripe, Sanya Invites You to Eat Durian"—kicked off. Durian buyers and industry chain representatives from all over China gathered to sample Sanya durians, visit plantations, and conduct industry exchanges.
In the plantation, six-year-old durian trees are laden with fruit, as visitors pose for photos with the fresh harvest. In the processing plant, the sorting line runs nonstop, and AI-powered recognition leaves defective, underripe or mildewed durians nowhere to hide. Freshly opened durians on-site are fragrant and plump, with people lining up to sample them. Durian freeze-dried snacks, durian candies, and durian ice cream are also popular—everyone has to have one.
The durian industry is a specialty sector that Hainan is focusing on cultivating. Previously, the province issued a three-year action plan to develop the entire durian industry chain, increasing support for seed source improvement, standards building, brand development, and market expansion. Wang Jiabao, Deputy Director of Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that in recent years, Hainan's durian industry has shown a strong growth trend. The province currently has more than 50,000 mu (about 3,300 hectares) of durian planted, with about 15,000 mu (about 1,000 hectares) bearing fruit.
As the core production area for durian in Hainan, Sanya is steadily advancing variety selection and breeding, actively promoting standardized management with smart orchards, building automated fruit sorting lines, and implementing full traceability management for fruit products. Lang Haibo, president of the Sanya Durian Association, said that currently, the survival rate for durian planting in Sanya has risen to 95%. Developing the local durian industry has become an important direction for upgrading tropical specialty agriculture, and the city’s durian industry has entered a new stage of large-scale development.