Durian Exports in Transmigration Areas Drive Its Prices Up to Sixfolds: Minister

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesian durians have now made their mark globally, with exports to several countries, including China. The Indonesian government claims that one of the factors behind this success is assistance provided in transmigration areas.

The country's Minister of Transmigration, Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara, said his ministry has been working to open up market access for transmigrant communities. One example is Parigi Moutong Regency in Central Sulawesi, where durian is one of the region’s leading commodities.

He explained that during the harvest season, durians produced in Parigi Moutong were sold at low prices because of an oversupply. Their prices are even less than a U.S. dollar.

“They are flooded with durians during the harvest season, with each fruit selling for around Rp5,000 to Rp6,000 (approximately US$0.28–0.34),” Iftitah said at a press conference held by the Indonesian Government Communications Agency in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

The Ministry of Transmigration subsequently sought to open export opportunities for durian farmers, particularly to China. According to him, durian exports have now driven farm-gate prices up by as much as sixfold.

“After we opened market access to China, we are now exporting durians, and prices at the farmer level have increased five- to sixfold,” Iftitah said.

“So when we talk about improving people’s welfare, once again, you can see the impact directly at the farmer level, where prices have already increased five- to sixfold,” he continued, highlighting the role of government intervention in improving the welfare of people living in transmigration areas.

Parigi Moutong Regency areas have been inhabited by transmigrants from various densely populated areas of Indonesia since 1962. Their influx makes a significant composition of the regency's demographic feature.