Thailand turns to influencers to tackle durian oversupply

Thailand has begun turning to influencers to tackle an oversupply of durian, sharply cutting prices at a time when weaker demand from China threatens its largest export market, Bloomberg reports.

Pimradaporn Benjawattanapat, known as Pimrypie, one of Thailand’s most popular online sellers, hosted a live stream on Tuesday evening for her 31 million followers on TikTok and Facebook. Known for selling everything from fish sauce to luxury perfumes, Pimrypie priced premium Monthong durian at just 100 baht (around $3) per fruit—well below typical market prices.

Some “jumbo” fruits sold for 480 baht, compared to the usual 700–800 baht for similar sizes, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

“Durian is our pride. Let’s not allow this pride to perish in the orchards,” Pimrypie said at the start of the four-hour livestream.

Nearly eight million people watched her livestream on Facebook alone, generating almost two million orders in real time. Pimrypie said she is selling durian at a loss after sourcing it from farms in Chanthaburi, the global capital of durian, known for its creamy Monthong variety. She did not immediately disclose total sales volume across all platforms.

Her livestream is part of a Thai government campaign to use live commerce to prevent a domestic glut of durian. Thailand has around 850,000 online sellers generating 1.3 billion transactions, with growth outpacing the rest of Southeast Asia, according to a 2025 report by Google, Temasek Holdings, and Bain & Company.

The strategy is now expanding internationally. Thailand’s Commerce Minister, Suphajee Suthumpun, took part this week in a three-hour Chinese livestream session that generated durian orders worth 15 million baht from mainland Chinese consumers.

Thailand, the world’s largest exporter of durian, expects production to rise by 33% this season to about 2.1 million tonnes. While around 30% of the crop is consumed domestically, most is shipped abroad, leaving farmers vulnerable when external demand weakens.

The spiky fruit is one of Thailand’s most valuable agricultural exports. Last year, the country shipped more than 979,000 tonnes worth $4.37 billion, accounting for the majority of global durian trade.