April 15, 2025
BANGKOK – The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives revealed that the overall production of six major Thai fruits in 2025 is expected to increase. Durian production alone is projected to reach 1.6 million tons, while lychee production is forecasted to rise significantly by 161% compared to the previous year.
Thanthita Boonyamanikun, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), revealed the forecast for the overall production of six types of fruit in 2025: durian, mangosteen, rambutan, longkong, longan, and lychee.
The information was reviewed and approved during the 1st meeting of the Agricultural Product Production Volume Quality Development Committee for 2025, held on April 9, 2025.
The national overview (data as of March 2025) is as follows:
Durian
Productive area: 1,265,701 rai, an increase from 1,138,475 rai
(an increase of 127,226 rai or +11.18%)
Production volume: 1,682,484 tons, up from 1,287,048 tons
(an increase of 395,436 tons or +30.72%)
Yield per rai: 1,329 kg/rai, up from 1,131 kg/rai
(an increase of 198 kg/rai or +17.51%)
The increase in productive area nationwide is attributed to durian trees planted by farmers in 2020, which have now matured, especially in key growing areas in the Central region, such as Chanthaburi, Rayong, and Trat, where durian replaced rubber and other fruit trees.
In the South, provinces like Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Yala saw durian replacing coffee, oil palm, rubber, and other fruits.
Additionally, new plantings in vacant areas have begun yielding fruit for the first time this year.
The expected increase in yield per rai is due to favorable weather conditions that support flowering and fruiting. In 2024, major growing areas in the Central region experienced adverse weather, with extended dry periods and unusually high temperatures, resulting in fewer fruits and allowing trees to rest and store nutrients.
Furthermore, most durian trees are at a peak productive age and, being a high-value economic crop, have motivated farmers to invest heavily in care and management to boost average yield.
In the South, the weather in 2025 is more conducive to flowering and fruiting compared to the extreme heat and prolonged dry spells of 2024. Improved orchard management and better water sources also contribute to the expected increase in overall production.
Longan
The productive area is expected to reach 1,645,810 rai, increasing from 1,644,559 rai (an increase of 1,251 rai or 0.08%). Production is estimated at 1,573,862 tons, up from 1,420,292 tons (an increase of 153,570 tons or 10.81%). Yield per productive area is projected at 956 kg/rai, increasing from 864 kg/rai (an increase of 92 kg/rai or 10.65%).
The slight increase in productive area is attributed to longans planted in 2022 in major producing regions such as the North, Northeast, and Central regions. These were planted to replace older longan trees with low productivity, as well as lychee, rubber trees, and cassava. These new plantings are expected to yield for the first time this year.
The increase in yield per rai in 2025 is expected due to sufficiently cool weather from late 2024 to early 2025, with warm daytime temperatures encouraging abundant flowering. In addition, last year’s high prices for longan motivated farmers to use flower-inducing agents and improve orchard care, resulting in higher overall national production.
Mangosteen
The productive area is expected to be 393,277 rai, down from 399,020 rai (a decrease of 5,743 rai or 1.44%). Production is forecast at 407,634 tons, up from 301,649 tons (an increase of 105,985 tons or 35.14%). Yield per productive area is projected at 1,037 kg/rai, increasing from 756 kg/rai (an increase of 281 kg/rai or 37.17%).
The decrease in productive area is due to continued poor mangosteen prices over recent years, resulting in low returns for farmers, especially for low-quality mangosteens. Many farmers removed mangosteen trees mixed with durian and other fruit trees to focus on crops with higher returns.
The increased yield per rai is expected as mangosteen trees had low flowering and fruiting last year, allowing trees to rest and accumulate nutrients. This year, the trees are healthier, and the weather is expected to be more favorable for flowering than last year. Also, fruiting is not likely to be affected by long dry spells as in the previous year, leading to higher overall production.
Rambutan
The productive area is expected to be 173,104 rai, decreasing from 179,126 rai (a reduction of 6,022 rai or 3.36%). Production is estimated at 229,315 tons, up from 201,981 tons (an increase of 27,334 tons or 13.53%). Yield per productive area is projected at 1,325 kg/rai, up from 1,128 kg/rai (an increase of 197 kg/rai or 17.46%).
The reduction in productive area is due to farmers in key areas in the Central and Southern regions replacing rambutan trees with durian due to labour shortages and lower profitability from rambutan farming.
The increase in yield per rai is expected due to favourable weather in late 2024 with consistent rainfall. Additionally, in 2024, key Central region producers faced erratic weather, leading to poor flowering. This allowed trees to rest and recover, improving conditions for fruiting this year. As a result, overall production is expected to rise.
Longkong
The productive area is expected to be 144,425 rai, down from 152,252 rai (a decrease of 7,827 rai or 5.14%). Production is estimated at 52,480 tons, up from 47,262 tons (an increase of 5,218 tons or 11.04%). Yield per productive area is forecast at 363 kg/rai, up from 310 kg/rai (an increase of 53 kg/rai or 17.10%).
The decline in productive area is due to consistently unappealing langsat prices over several years, leading farmers to gradually cut down older trees, especially those intercropped with durian and other main crops with better returns.
Yield per rai is expected to rise, especially in key producing areas in the South, where favourable weather is forecast for flowering and fruiting. Continuous rainfall in late 2024 helped trees recover after poor fruiting last year. As a result, trees are healthier and better prepared for flowering, leading to an expected increase in national production.
Lychee
In 2025, the area of fruit-bearing lychee plantations in Thailand is expected to decrease to 78,692 rai, down 4,242 rai or 5.11% from 82,934 rai the previous year. Despite the reduction in cultivation area, total production is projected to surge to 36,451 tons, up 22,499 tons or 161.26% from 13,952 tons.
Yield per rai is also expected to increase significantly to 463 kilograms per rai, compared to 168 kilograms per rai last year — a rise of 295 kilograms or 175.60%.
The decline in cultivation area is mainly due to farmers in the North switching to other crops such as rubber, maize for animal feed, and other fruits like durian, avocado, mango, and rambutan. In the Central region, many lychee orchards have been converted to durian and aromatic coconut plantations.
The sharp increase in yield per rai is attributed to favorable weather conditions this year, with prolonged cold temperatures encouraging better flowering and fruit setting, unlike last year when the brief cold spell was insufficient to trigger lychee blooming. As a result, overall national lychee production is expected to rise markedly.
For 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has designated the Fruit Board as the main body overseeing fruit management efforts. Each province is encouraged to manage operations independently under its own Provincial Agricultural Product Management Committee, focusing on both quantitative and qualitative strategies aligned with the Thai Fruit Development Plan (2022–2027).
Qualitative Management involves initiatives to enhance fruit quality through various programs, such as:
Promoting production according to GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) and GI (Geographical Indication) standards,
Encouraging domestic consumption and conducting public awareness campaigns,
Preventing low-quality produce from entering the market,
Strengthening market linkages and increasing the value of agricultural products.
Quantitative Management focuses on managing seasonal production, maintaining supply-demand balance, forecasting yields, conducting area-based data collection, and linking production with market demand. Market data is gathered from stakeholders like collectors, exporters, cooperatives, processors, and retailers.
These measures are in line with the 2022–2027 Thai Fruit Development Plan, which aims to stabilize prices, boost the export value of fresh and processed fruits, and elevate the quality of Thai fruits to meet standards.
The strategy is built upon five core pillars:
Enhancing fruit production systems and raising product standards.
Increasing market competitiveness through technology and innovation.
Strengthening and promoting equity among farmers and agricultural institutions.
Ensuring sustainable and eco-friendly resource management across the fruit production cycle.
Developing export networks and improving logistics systems.