Vietnam is the only country that still has fresh durian for sale.

Currently, Vietnam is the only country with fresh durian available for sale, so export prices remain very good. Not only durian, but the prices of many other fruits have also increased sharply, helping the export value of fruits and vegetables in the first eight months of this year exceed $1.2 billion compared to the same period last year.

Prices of many types of fruit continue to rise.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Hien, from Buon Ho town ( Dak Lak province), said that this year's durian harvest is bountiful and prices are good, making local people very happy. This week, traders reported stable prices for Ri6 durian , with good quality durians priced from 55,000 to 58,000 VND/kg. Yesterday, the price of Dona durian continued to increase by 2,000-3,000 VND to 92,000-96,000 VND/kg; bulk purchases also reached 75,000-85,000 VND/kg. Compared to the same period last year, the current price is more than 20,000 VND/kg higher.

However, the soaring prices have not only led to fierce competition among traders but have also created numerous security and public order issues. For about a month now, anyone with a garden, or even just a few durian trees, has had to assign someone to guard it all day long. Especially at night, they have to sleep in hammocks to prevent theft. Those with large gardens have had to hire additional security guards.

With favorable export conditions, durian prices continue to rise despite being in the peak harvest season in the Central Highlands. (Photo: DAO NGOC THACH)

About two weeks ago, Mr. Doan Nguyen Duc, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint Stock Company, one of the largest durian growers in Vietnam, announced that he was selling 500 tons of durian at 77,000 VND/kg. This is a time of "natural off-season" when only Vietnam has fresh durian for export, so the price will be very good.

"Durian still has a lot of potential in the Chinese market because only a small number of people in that country have tasted durian for the first time. Durian is also an addictive fruit; once you've tried it, you'll keep eating it. I myself couldn't eat durian before, but now I'm a huge fan. Besides, it's not just the Chinese; people from many other countries are also starting to eat it. People of Chinese descent are also present all over the world ," Mr. Duc said.

Exports of fruits and vegetables through land border crossings still account for a large volume.

According to the Management Board of the Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Economic Zone (Lang Son province), cross-border exports at border gates in the province are proceeding smoothly and efficiently. On August 29, 2023, the number of vehicles carrying export goods was 428; including 284 vehicles carrying fruit and 144 vehicles carrying other goods. The number of vehicles carrying export goods remaining at 8 PM on August 29, 2023 was 149; including 110 vehicles carrying fruit and 39 vehicles carrying other goods.

As someone closely monitoring developments in the fruit and vegetable industry, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT), stated: As of June 2023, durian exports had reached US$915 million; it is estimated that by the end of August, this figure could reach US$1.2 billion. Currently, the Central Highlands, the largest durian-producing region in the country, is in its peak harvest season. Meanwhile, durian from other countries is nearing the end of its season, with limited production or only frozen products available. Therefore, fresh durian from Vietnam has even more opportunities to increase export turnover in the remaining months of the year. The export value for the whole year 2023 could exceed US$1.5 billion.

Besides durian, many other Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports also experienced strong growth, such as bananas, jackfruit, mangoes, and processed passion fruit, all exceeding $100 million in export value during the first six months of the year. Some other items, although lower in value, still saw triple-digit growth in export value, such as watermelons, lychees, pomelos, and betel nuts. This strong and simultaneous growth in fruit and vegetable products helped export turnover in the first eight months of 2023 reach nearly $3.5 billion, a 57% increase, or over $1.2 billion in absolute terms, compared to the same period in 2022.

Banana exports increased in 2023. Photo by CHI NHAN

Banana prices are rising, jackfruit prices are fluctuating wildly.

Besides durian, bananas and jackfruit are key export fruits of Vietnam. Mr. Vo Quan Huy, Director of Huy Long An Co., Ltd. - dubbed the "banana king" - said: This year, banana exports have been relatively favorable. In the two main markets, Japan and South Korea, output and prices are stable thanks to long-term contracts. In the largest market, China, prices consistently remain higher than normal, by about 3 USD/kg. Currently, it is the low season in China as they are also in their harvest season, but the selling price is still at 10-11 USD/kg compared to the average of only about 7 USD/kg in previous years. At the beginning of the year, the price of bananas exported to China reached 14-15 USD/kg.

"This year, banana exports to China are favorable because many sources supplying China have been affected in terms of both quantity and quality due to the Panama disease affecting banana plants. This disease has also affected some banana-growing regions in the country. In addition, unfavorable weather conditions have reduced banana yields in China. These factors have contributed to favorable banana exports to China this year," Mr. Huy said.

Vietnam needs to improve the quality of durian.

Thailand is the main exporter of fresh durian to China, while Malaysia exports high-quality frozen durian. To increase competitiveness, Thailand has decided to raise its export durian quality standards, requiring a minimum dry matter content of 35%, instead of the previous 32%. Increased dry matter content means less water, resulting in firmer and tastier durian. The Philippines has secured a protocol to export 50,000 tons of fresh durian to China this year. This makes it one of the three largest suppliers of fresh durian to the Chinese market, along with Thailand and Vietnam. China's failure to successfully cultivate durian is encouraging for exporting countries. However, Vietnam needs to strengthen and improve confidence in the quality of its product, not only in China but also in its domestic market of 100 million people. In addition to traditional markets, expanding into new markets in countries with large Vietnamese and Chinese populations is essential. The Vietnamese diaspora alone comprises over 5.3 million people, with more than 2 million in the US, representing a significant potential market for Vietnamese durian in the future.

Similarly with jackfruit. Over the past week, the price of jackfruit in the Mekong Delta has skyrocketed from 50,000 VND/kg to 60,000 VND/kg. This is arguably the highest price in many years. Mr. Doan Van Hoai, the owner of a jackfruit wholesale business in Cai Be District (Tien Giang province), announced: "The current purchase price for Grade 1 Thai jackfruit has reached 60,000 VND/kg. This price is beyond the predictions and expectations of the orchard owners. The high demand for export to China, while jackfruit production is decreasing, is the factor driving the price surge." By August 30th, many jackfruit wholesale businesses in several provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta had ceased operations. The reason given by the businesses was a lack of supply. Some businesses said that traders brought back very little jackfruit, not enough to load onto trucks for transport to China, so they had to temporarily suspend operations. The unstable supply of jackfruit has caused prices to drop slightly again in recent days, averaging between 5,000 and 8,000 VND/kg.

Thanhnien.vn