Thanks to a surge in online orders from China, fruits have overtaken rice for the first time to become Thailand's top farm exports. 

Thailand's Ministry of Commerce said fruit exports earned $4.1 billion in 2020 while rice made $3.7 billion.

The boost in revenue comes as the Thai government launched an online pre-order system and cooperated with Chinese e-commerce platforms to sell top-grade durian. Thai durian farmers would ship fresh fruits to China as soon as they received the orders.

"Selling online is a real innovation for farmers. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand agreed to a partnership with Chinese dealers and encouraged us to do online marketing," durian farmer Soonthorn Nopphunt said brightly.

Despite COVID-19, or perhaps because of it as more Chinese have been eating at home, exports of Thai durian to China soared by 78 percent in 2020 and further 14 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Durian – having a "love it or hate it" reputation – is becoming increasingly popular in China. The Thai durian sales to China accounted for three-fourths of all exports last year, totaling $1.5 billion.

Besides durian, mango, mangosteen and longan from Thailand are also Chinese consumers' favorites. The love for fruits, a move to healthier eating and a rising purchasing power are expected to continuously boost Thai's fruit export.