China Wants to Grow Durian Trees

choi

Sha Hua 华沙, 榴莲成 '瘾' 后，中国寻求 '榴莲自由.; 中国追求 '榴莲自由' 之际，当地农民正在努力解锁榴莲种植的奥秘。 华尔街日报中文网, Sept 15, 2023 (you need to register to read it for free)
https://cn.wsj.com/articles/榴莲成-瘾-后-中国寻求-榴莲自由-a12df3b4

, which is translated from

Sha Hua, Nation Goes for Dominance of World's Stinkiest Fruit; Farmers in China grow durian, which some say smells like gym sicks. Wall Street Journal, Sept 16, 2023, at page A1.
https://www.wsj.com/business/far ... ruit-china-2a320ef9

Note:
(a) Durian tree has shallow roots, and are easy to topple.
(b) Durian Info.
durianinfo.blogspot.com/p/durian-agronomy.html

Quote:

"Soils: * * * The durian cannot stand waterlogged conditions and is vulnerable to wind damage during storms and typhoons and requires protection.

"Temperature: Durian is native to the tropics, and needs an environment that is hot (24-32°C) and moist with 75-80% humidity. It will not grow when mean daily temperatures drop below 22°C [some say 18; pleade view map].

"Rainfall: It requires an annual rainfall of 1500mm or more. Because the durian root system is very shallow (< 30cm), supplementary irrigation is very necessary for all stages of plant growth.

"Dry Weather: For matured trees, durian requires a dry spell of about 1 to 2 months for flowers to initiate and develop fully. * * *

(c) In the United States, only Puerto Rico (not even Hawaii) fits the requirement in minimal temperature to grow durian trees. In San Juan, Puerto Rico (capital, on the north shore of the island) the mean minimum temperature is 20 degrees Celsius in January, and record low is 16. See San Juan, Puerto Rico
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan,_Puerto_Rico  
(section 2 Geography)
Some people do grow durian trees (and fruits) in the valleys of Puerto Rico, as well as Hawaii (in the latter, Thai cultivars or varieties are chosen to withstand relative coldness). But durian trees are few in both territories, not because the United States Department of Agriculture did not try.

Hawaii has three (3) durian trees, whose fruits are unlike those where the trees came from -- Malaysia. See Lindsay and Richard, Hawaii Durian and Kava Farm. Year of the Durian, Nov 14, 2021 (blog).
https://www.yearofthedurian.com/ ... rian-kava-farm.html


-----------------------------from cn.wsj.com
中国农民Wei Fuyou清楚记得四年前的情形，当时他第一次从视频中得知自己居住的热带岛屿海南可以种植榴莲。榴莲表面有刺，刺鼻的气味会让人联想到臭袜子。
Chinese farmer Wei Fuyou clearly remembers the moment four years ago when he first watched a video clip showing that durian, a pungent fruit with a smell reminiscent of gym socks, could be grown on the tropical island of Hainan, where he lives.
   
Wei记得自己当时兴奋地喊道，这么说他也可以种榴莲。
“That means I can grow them, too!” he recalls yelping.
   
Wei很快砍掉了他种的一些槟榔树，并在原地种了400棵榴莲树。
Wei promptly cut down some of his betel nut palms and planted 400 durian trees in their place.
   
Wei最初很反感榴莲的味道，但这不重要。尽管有人说这种原产于东南亚、果肉呈黄色的水果吃起来像“呕吐物味的奶油冻”，但在中国14亿人口中，许多人都很喜爱这种以恶臭闻名的美味，这让他兴奋不已。
Never mind his own initial disgust with durians, a spiky fruit native to Southeast Asia, whose yellow flesh some have likened to “vomit-flavored custard.” The excitement was driven by Wei’s 1.4 billion countrymen, many of whom are crazy for the stinky delicacy.
   
去年中国消费了价值42亿美元的榴莲，大约是2018年的四倍，可见这种水果在中国的受欢迎程度。不过，目前中国的榴莲供应几乎完全依赖东南亚，那里的条件非常适合这种对生长环境要求极高的水果。
The fruit has become so beloved in China that it consumed $4.2 billion worth of durians last year, about four times the value from 2018. To get its fix, however, China relies almost exclusively—for now—on Southeast Asia, where conditions are perfect for the fickle fruit.
   
现在，中国正寻求实现榴莲生产自给自足，Wei已投身其中。与中国政府希望掌握的其他关键技术，如半导体和量子计算一样，Wei和其他中国人也在努力解锁榴莲种植的奥秘。这是一项充满挑战的探索。
Now, Wei is part of China’s quest to become more self-reliant in durian production. As Beijing has done with other critical technologies it hopes to master, such as semiconductors and quantum computing, Wei and other Chinese are racing to unlock the secrets of durian cultivation. It is a challenging quest.
   
虽然榴莲果实外壳坚硬结实，但榴莲树本身对寒冷和干燥极为敏感。中国只有最南端，比如海南岛，才有适合种植榴莲的热带气候。
While the durian fruit is hard and sturdy on the outside, the tree itself is extremely sensitive to cold and dryness. Only the very southernmost parts of China—like Hainan island—have the tropical climate suitable to grow durian. 6park.com
   
即便如此，成功也远非十拿九稳。只有耐心和技术相结合才能让榴莲在带刺的壳里生长起来。
Even then, success is far from assured. Only a combination of patience and technique can coax the durian from its spiky shell.
   
这正是Gerald Miow的擅长之处。
That’s where Gerald Miow comes in.
   
62岁的Miow是马来西亚的一名化肥企业家，他写了一本200页的关于榴莲的专着。
Miow is a 62-year-old fertilizer entrepreneur in Malaysia, and author of a 200-page treatise on the durian.

历经几十年的艰苦试验和纠错，Miow说他已经破解肥料的正确搭配之法，可解决榴莲种植过程中会遇到的蛀虫、蚁害、果实发苦、不开花和生长缓慢等问题，这些问题曾困扰其他想要种植榴莲的农户。
Over the decades, through painstaking trial and error, Miow says he has deciphered just the right mixes of fertilizers to deal with the worms, ants, bitter tastes, reluctant blossoms and slow growth that have hamstrung other would-be durian cultivators.
   
今年年初，Wei和海南的另一些农户向Miow发出邀请，希望这位榴莲种植专家能来海南分享他的一些秘诀。
Early this year, Wei and other farmers in Hainan reached out to him, extending an invitation for the durian sage to visit, and hopefully share some of his secrets.
   
Miow接受了邀请。他说，中国缺乏“土生土长的榴莲种植人才”。
Miow obliged. China, he says, lacks “indigenous durian talent.”
   
在4月和5月的10多天里，Miow手持修枝剪，在海南的榴莲果园里查看情况，就蚁害、空气流通和土壤退化等问题提出建议和见解。在他分享榴莲种植的宝贵经验时，研究人员和果农们向这位专家提了许多问题，他们用智能手机认真地记录下了Miow说的每一句话。
Over 10 days in April and May, Miow roamed Hainan’s durian orchards, pruning shear in hand, dispensing advice and insights about ant attacks, air circulation and soil degradation. As he shared nuggets of durian wisdom, researchers and farmers peppered the guru with questions, diligently recording Miow’s every word on their smartphones.
   
Miow的观点并不总是正统的，有时确实与海南省农业科学院热带果树研究所(Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences' Tropical Fruit Research Institute)等机构的种植建议相冲突。
Miow’s opinions aren’t always orthodox, and indeed sometimes clash with the recommendations of institutions such as the Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Tropical Fruit Research Institute.
   
该研究所的科学家已经在培育新的榴莲种子，这些种子不仅更耐寒，而且还能培育出矮化版的榴莲树，常规的榴莲树最高可以长到165英尺高，这在台风多发的海南是一个问题。海南的榴莲种植者还在榴莲树周围搭了铁架。
Scientists there have been working on breeding new durian seeds that aren’t just more cold-resistant but that will also produce dwarf versions of durian trees, which otherwise can grow up to 165 feet tall—a problem in typhoon-prone Hainan. Hainan durian farmers have also taken to erecting iron scaffolds around their trees.
   
Miow说，这是瞎搞。他坚持认为，矮化的榴莲树无法结出像普通榴莲树一样美味的果实。他还说，铁会氧化，使锌渗入土壤，污染榴莲。
Balderdash, says Miow. He maintains that no dwarf tree can produce the same delicious fruit as a regular durian tree. Iron, he adds, oxidizes, allowing zinc to seep into the soil and contaminate the durian.

Wei已经采纳了Miow的部分建议，例如用不生锈的材料来代替铁架。
Wei has already taken some of Miow’s advice, for instance replacing his iron scaffolding with nonrusting alternatives. m
   
但并非所有有志向在海南种植榴莲的人都能接受Miow的建议。他说，当地一些种植户对他的建议不屑一顾。
But not everyone behind Hainan’s durian-growing aspirations has been as receptive to Miow’s recommendations. Some local farmers have dismissed his advice, he says.  
   
在马来西亚国内，一些人指责Miow把榴莲种植的黑科技告诉潜在竞争对手的做法是叛国行为。
Back home in Malaysia, some have accused Miow of betraying his country by sharing the dark arts of durian cultivation to potential competitors.
   
近年来，中国对榴莲的痴迷给马来西亚的许多种植户带来了翻天覆地的变化。在马来西亚首都西北10英里处的文冬区(Bentong District)，街道两旁都是新建的冷冻设施和包装站。
China’s durian fixation has been transformative for many farmers in Malaysia in recent years. Streets in Bentong District, 10 miles northwest of Malaysia’s capital, are lined with newly built freezing facilities and packing stations.  
   
也有人说，马来西亚暂时不用太担心。据官方媒体报道，中国农户种植榴莲的首次尝试以失败告终，他们于1958年种植的第一棵榴莲树只结出了一个榴莲果。
Others say Malaysia doesn’t have much to worry about—for the time being. The first attempt by Chinese farmers to grow durian ended in failure when the first tree, planted in 1958, produced only a single durian fruit, according to state media reports.
   
最近，随着消费者对榴莲的需求再次激增，中国农民再次努力设法实现被中国媒体称为“榴莲自由”的目标，即能够以可承受的价格种植本土榴莲。今年，中国终于取得了突破性进展，当地农民成功培育出了第一批具有商业价值的国产榴莲。
As consumers’ appetite for durian surged again recently, Chinese farmers have renewed bids at achieving what China’s media has dubbed “durian freedom”—the ability to grow one’s own durians at an affordable price. This year, the breakthrough finally came when Chinese farmers succeeded in breeding the country’s first commercially-viable batch of homegrown durians.

尽管如此，预计中国今年仅能收获50吨榴莲，远低于官方媒体最初宣传的2,450吨的目标，仅占去年中国榴莲消费量的0.005%。
Still, China is projected to harvest just 50 metric tons of its own durians this year—well short of the goal of 2,450 metric tons initially touted by state media, and just 0.005% of Chinese durian consumption last year.  
   
马来西亚榴莲出口商Dennis Lo说：“人们一旦喜欢上榴莲，就会上瘾。” Lo是Miow这本关于榴莲书籍的合着者，并成立了一家名为Durian Duke Group的榴莲公司， 该公司的座右铭是：神奇的水果——走向神奇的自由（The AMAZING fruit -- toward the AMAZING freedom）。
“Once people like durians, they are addicted to them,” says Dennis Lo, a Malaysian durian exporter who co-authored Miow’s durian book and who founded a company called Durian Duke Group. (Its motto: “The AMAZING fruit—toward the AMAZING freedom.”)
   
他称，即使海南的农地全部种植榴莲树，也无法满足中国的需求。
He says even if Hainan were covered only with durian trees, it still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Chinese demand.
   
Lo还认为，中国政府很清楚国内市场的外交价值，可以用来巩固与东南亚邻国之间的关系，因此中国绝不会对东南亚榴莲生产商关上大门。他说：“中国已有熊猫外交，现在又多了个榴莲外交。”
Lo also believes Beijing would never shut its door to Southeast Asian durian producers, knowing the diplomatic value of leveraging China’s domestic market to cement ties with its southern neighbors. “China has panda diplomacy and now they also have durian diplomacy,’” he says.
   
近年来，榴莲已成为中国与东南亚邻国进行外交会晤时的一个主打产品。2022年7月，中国外交部长王毅出访马来西亚时对招待他所用的榴莲芝士蛋糕赞不绝口，并表示中国打算从马来西亚进口更多热带水果。
In recent years, durians have become a mainstay of diplomatic meetings between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors. In July 2022, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi raved over a durian cheesecake his Malaysian hosts served him, and declared China’s intent to import more tropical fruit from Malaysia.
   
对于Wei来说，他已经喜欢上榴莲的味道，他说他的想法很简单，就是要种出更多品种的榴莲供中国顾客挑选。
Wei, for his part, has come to love the taste of durian and says he hopes simply to offer Chinese customers more varieties of durians to choose from.
   
他说，我们只是在推广对榴莲的喜爱，为大家把榴莲生意这款蛋糕做大。
“We are just promoting durian love and growing the durian business pie for everyone,” he says.