Chongqing Import Freight Forwarding: Full Process Analysis of Southeast Asian Durian Customs Clearance

Import of Southeast Asian Durian in Chongqing: Customs Pain Points Behind Growth

In 2026,Southeast Asian Mao Shan Wang durian ranked first among tropical fruit imports in Chongqing with a volume of 23,000 tons,a 47% increase compared to 2023.However,many local Chongqing traders frequently encounter pitfalls in the import process due to industry-specific compliance requirements.For example,some traders failed to apply for the Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit in advance,resulting in inability to declare after the cargo arrived at the port; some enterprises were required to retest because their cold chain container temperature records did not meet the inspection standards of Chongqing Cuntan Port,with port detention fees exceeding 8,000 yuan per shipment.

Core Service Logic of Zhongshen in Durian Imports

Targeting the special needs of durian imports in Chongqing,Zhongshen does not simply provide logistics services,but extends its services to the front end of trade around two core pillars: proactive compliance and process temperature control.It covers all possible risk points across the entire chain,from supplier qualification review to cold chain distribution after port inspection.For example,in 2025,Mr.Cui’s trading company,a new partner,encountered an invalid quarantine certificate provided by its supplier because it did not understand the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture’s requirement that durian trees must be at least 15 years old.Zhongshen intervened in the review in advance and assisted the supplier in supplementing materials,avoiding cargo re-export.

Unique Compliance Requirements for Durian Imports

• Must provide the Plant Quarantine Certificate issued by the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture,which must clearly indicate the durian tree age (≥15 years) and origin (only designated production areas such as Selangor and Pahang)
• Cold chain containers must be equipped with real-time temperature recorders compliant with ISO14064 standards,with the temperature maintained steadily between 0℃ and 4℃ throughout the journey,and the data must be uploaded to the Chongqing Customs Quarantine System in real time
• Must apply to Chongqing Customs for the Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit 30 working days in advance.The permit is valid for 6 months,and each single import must correspond to a permit number
• Chongqing Cuntan Port requires that pre-declaration information including container number,temperature data,quarantine certificate number,etc.be submitted 24 hours before the arrival of durian imports.Failure to declare on time will result in being listed as a "key inspection target"

Breakdown of Durian Import Full Process: Zhongshen’s Service Nodes

1.Document Pre-examination Stage: Proactively Avoid Certificate Risks

One of the core pain points of durian imports is the compliance of quarantine certificates.Certificate requirements vary across different production areas in Malaysia,and Chongqing Customs has particularly strict review standards for tree age certificates.Before customers sign procurement contracts,Zhongshen will conduct pre-examination on the Plant Quarantine Certificate and Certificate of Origin provided by suppliers,focusing on three aspects:

• Whether the durian variety on the certificate is "D197" (official code for Mao Shan Wang)
• Whether the tree age certificate is issued by a direct affiliate of the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture,rather than a third-party testing company
• Whether the certificate’s validity period covers the arrival time of the cargo (Malaysian certificates are valid for 14 days)

In March 2026,a Chongqing trading company planned to import a batch of Malaysian durian.During the pre-examination,Zhongshen found that the tree age certificate provided by the supplier was only 12 years,which did not meet Chongqing Customs’ requirements.The company promptly assisted the customer in replacing the supplier with a compliant one from Selangor,avoiding subsequent re-export risks.

2.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Accurately Align with Chongqing Customs Requirements

As an inland port,Chongqing has different customs declaration procedures from coastal ports.Especially for cold-chain inspected goods like durian,Cuntan Port only has 3 dedicated inspection lanes open.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team is familiar with Chongqing Customs’ inspection priorities,and will make reservations for inspection lanes in advance based on the cargo’s arrival time.At the same time,two sets of documents will be prepared: one for regular customs declaration and one for quarantine inspection (including temperature recorder data,origin distribution map,etc.).

In addition,in response to Chongqing’s local "Imported Fruit Central Inspection Zone" policy,Zhongshen will assist customers in transporting goods directly to the inspection zone,avoiding additional costs caused by port detention.For example,in 2025,a company managed by Manager Pei imported durian.Due to failure to reserve an inspection lane,the cargo was detained in the port for 2 days.Later,when they entrusted Zhongshen to handle the matter,the inspection and release were completed in only 12 hours.

3.Commodity Inspection Stage: Full-process Monitoring of Cold Chain Temperature

Durian is a highly sensitive cold-chain cargo,and a temperature fluctuation of more than 1℃ may cause pulp deterioration.Zhongshen will monitor the container temperature in real time during transportation.Once an abnormality occurs (such as temperature exceeding 5℃),the system will automatically send an alert and contact the shipping company to adjust the container’s refrigeration parameters.After arriving in Chongqing,commodity inspection personnel will retrieve temperature data from the past 3 days for review.Zhongshen will organize the data report in advance,mark the time periods of temperature abnormalities and adjustment measures,to ensure smooth passage of commodity inspection.

Ordinary Agent vs Zhongshen: Comparison of Durian Import Service Differences

Zhongshen: Efficiency and Compliance Guarantee for Durian Imports in Chongqing

Since 2026,Zhongshen has assisted 32 trading companies in Chongqing to complete Southeast Asian durian imports,with a cumulative import volume of over 5,000 tons and a 100% customs clearance pass rate.For example,a trading company managed by General Manager Cheng previously lost about 120,000 yuan annually due to customs clearance delays.After cooperating with Zhongshen,the customs clearance cycle was reduced by 30% and port detention fees were reduced by 60%.

For Chongqing import enterprises,choosing a professional freight forwarder is not only about saving time costs,but also a key to avoiding compliance risks.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the foreign trade industry for more than 20 years,is familiar with the special policies of Chongqing Port,and can provide customized full-process services for the needs of special goods like durian,helping enterprises gain a competitive edge in the Chongqing import market.