Thailand prepares fruit management measures for 2026 season

Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has outlined new measures to manage the 2026 fruit season, with a focus on quality control, market stability and better use of production data.

The measures were discussed at the second 2026 meeting of the Fruit Board, held earlier this month. The meeting reviewed support for fruit growers and plans to manage supply during the main production season.

One proposal approved in principle is a recovery project for longan orchards with trees over 25 years old in eight northern provinces. The project would cover more than 45,000 farming households and aims to improve production capacity while supporting no-burning practices to reduce PM2.5 pollution.

The ministry also agreed to bring aromatic coconuts fully under the Fruit Board’s management system. A working group will study short- and long-term measures for the product, while another group will develop regional data and logistics systems, starting with a pilot in western Thailand.

Fruit production data showed mixed trends. Durian output is expected to rise by 14% this year, while quality-grade prices remain at a good level. However, authorities were asked to closely monitor the market after May 20, when larger volumes were expected. Mangosteen production in the east was reported down 32%, mainly due to a reduction in planted area.

The Fruit Board set five main measures to support prices: GAP quality control, domestic and export market promotion, processing to add value, stricter legal action against operators and nominee packing houses, and Big Data monitoring through the Simple Fruit system for daily market analysis.

The ministry also said southern fruit production could rise by 58%, while northern provinces are preparing to manage more than 20,000 tonnes of surplus longan in Lamphun, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Authorities also reported action against immature durian sales and said damage from storms in fruit-growing areas would be surveyed so affected farmers can receive support.

source and photo: moac.go.th