STINKY FRUIT : GANGSTA MONEY

 


















































































The durian, Southeast Asia’s yellow or green thorn-skinned fruit, is one of the world’s most distinctive-smelling delicacies. Many people, when first catching a whiff, are apt to say it simply has a near-unbearable stink.

It is also experiencing a startling surge in consumer demand, particularly in China, where imports of the head-sized fruits have quadrupled since 2019. As Matthias Kamp writes in today’s Weekend Read, this is bringing new prosperity to regions such as Thailand’s Chanthaburi province, where some of the highest-quality products originate. 

But like all booms, this one has a dark side. Thai growers say the big Chinese companies that dominate processing and international distribution of the fruit are engaging in ruthless business tactics in order to keep prices down, making life increasingly difficult for farmers and smaller competitors. Rising production levels in other countries such as Vietnam and Laos may take some of the froth out of the market over time, but for now, the stinkiest gold rush is bringing aggravations along with its advantages, Kamp writes.












Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BLUEBERRY 🫐 INDUSTRY THREATENED ON A GLOBAL SCALE

Image
  While the fungus has predominantly been identified in blueberry plants, the species has been found to infect wheat, hops, grapes, and strawberries plants. The blueberry plant is native to America and is believed to be one of the first edible fruit-producing plants discovered by native people following the last ice age. In addition to being picked and eaten fresh, Native Americans incorporated blueberries into a variety of dishes that include soups, stews, preserves and puddings. However, early uses of the blueberry extended far beyond cultural cuisine, spilling into medicinal uses in combination with roots, stems, leaves and flowers. Known today as the highbush variety, the plant natively stretched from the arctic plains across what is now the United States down through Mexico and into some parts of South America.  Although this information about the disease is surfacing only recently, samples that were analyzed in the study conducted by the University of North Carolina incl...
Read more

WHERE OUR FAVORITE FOODS COME FROM

Image
India: Mangoes It’s probably not a huge surprise that India takes the top spot on the list of the world’s biggest mango producers — the tropical fruit is native to the region and accounts for  50%  of the world supply.  But what you might not know is that mangoes from India only became an export available to the U.S. in the late aughts, when President George W. Bush reportedly allowed the import in exchange for India allowing  Harley-Davidson motorcycles into the South Asian country.  Still, India is not a top mango provider to the U.S., which instead imports most of its product from  Mexico, Peru, and Brazil .  Of the approximately 1,500 varieties of mangoes grown in India, the most popular — home and abroad — is the Alphonso, which is also known as the “ King of Mangoes. ” Vietnam: Pepper Black peppercorns are one of the most essential spices for any household pantry, and Vietnam is to thank for  nearly half  of the world’s output.  Th...
Read more