inp.polri.go.id - Palu. The Ministry of Agriculture has committed to assisting regional governments in developing durian agricultural areas in Central Sulawesi to support the sustainable export of the region's leading product.
"We have sent 14,000 certified durian seedlings as part of our efforts to accelerate the development of durian areas in Central Sulawesi," said Fausiah T. Ladja, Director of Fruit and Floriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture's Directorate General of Horticulture, while attending the 2026 Central Sulawesi Durian Export Independence event in Palu City on Wednesday (8/12/2026).
She explained that the first phase of seedling assistance covers 140 hectares of land spread across the province's durian-growing centers: Parigi Moutong, Poso, Tojo Una-una, Tolitoli, Sigi, and Donggala Regencies.
The durian development program not only provides seedling assistance but also provides production facilities in the form of organic fertilizer.
"We received information from the Food Crops and Horticulture Service (TPH) that 14,000 seedlings and 210 kilograms of organic fertilizer have arrived in Central Sulawesi," she said.
According to her, Central Sulawesi's geographical location offers great potential for the development of horticultural commodities, particularly durian, making it a suitable source for domestic durian exports.
"Durian is a new economic source for both the regional and national economies. We hope that the assistance provided to farmers will be maintained and cared for so that it can provide welfare benefits," said Fausiah.
Currently, Central Sulawesi is exporting frozen Montong durian to China via the Pantoloan Port in Palu.
According to data from the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin), from January to July 2026, frozen durian exports to China totaled 272 containers, totaling 7,344 tons.
Each container contained approximately 27 tons of frozen durian, with a commodity value of approximately IDR 2.5 billion to IDR 2.8 billion per container.
"Indonesia is one of the largest durian producers in Southeast Asia. Average production is 1.8 million tons per year, with a harvested area of around 105,000 hectares. We hope Central Sulawesi can support national production in the future," he said.
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