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  • Vietnamese durian and coffee farmers see unprecedented profits in 2023

    Vietnamese durian and coffee farmers see unprecedented profits in 2023

    The record prices of durian, coffee, and rice in 2023 brought significant profits to farmers in the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta.

    Thoai, a garden owner in the Mekong Delta province of Can Tho, stated that durian farmers had never had a bumper harvest like last year.

    The price of this fruit remained high during the peak season, reaching up to VND140,000 (US$5.73) per kilogram at times. For the first time in over a decade, he earned a profit of several billion dong from selling durians.

    The high demand is continuing through 2024. In the days leading up to this year’s Lunar New Year holiday, which lasts from Feb. 8-14, many gardens in the Mekong Delta were busy harvesting off-season durians for export to China, where many people use durians as gifts for the holiday.

    Each five-kilogram durian could be sold for nearly VND1 million ($41), equivalent to about VND200,000 per kilogram.Not only in the Mekong Delta, but durian farmers in the Central Highlands also made a large profits last year due to the continuously peaking prices of this fruit.

    Cuong, a garden owner in the region’s Dak Lak province, reported earning VND120 billion after harvesting 40 hectares of durians.

    2023 was a bumper year for the key agricultural crops of Dak Lak Province, according to Vu Duc Con, deputy director of the Dak Lak Department of Agriculture & Rural Development.

    Specifically, thanks to good prices of durians, the province earned about VND12,000 billion after harvesting 200,000 tons.

    Another agricultural product that brought in huge revenue and helped farmers “change their lives” last year was coffee.

    Hoa, from the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, said her family harvested seven tons of coffee beans in 2023.

    With a highest-ever selling price of VND76 million per ton, her family earned more than VND530 million last year. After deducting costs, she made a profit of over VND200 million, she said.

    Thoai, Cuong, and Hoa are not the only farmers who had a year with “never-seen-before profit.”

    “2023 was the brightest year for the export picture of the agricultural sector,” said Dang Phuc Nguyen, Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.

    According to him, agriculture continued to affirm its position as a pillar of Vietnam’s economy, with the export value of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries exceeding US$53 billion.

    Some agricultural products set historic peaks, including fruits and vegetables exports, which surged 70% year-on-year, bringing in more than $5.6 billion, with durians, bananas, jackfruits, longans, and watermelons recording an increase of up to four times compared to the same period.

    Rice exports also increased by more than 36% in value.

    “Vietnamese agricultural products broke through in export turnover and price, even as the domestic and global economy declined,” said Nguyen.

    The high global demand for food, along with many fruits being officially exported to the vast market of China, helped Vietnamese agricultural products increase in value and quality, he said.

    China is also the largest import market for many Vietnamese agricultural products, at $11.5 billion last year, of which durians alone accounted for more than $2 billion.

    Besides durians, 13 other agricultural products have been officially exported to this market, such as bird’s nests and their products, sweet potatoes, dragon fruits, longans, rambutans, mangoes, jackfruits, and watermelons.

    Similarly, rice also brought a bumper harvest to farmers.

    In previous years, countries like Indonesia, Chile, Ghana bought Vietnamese rice in dribs and drabs, but increased their purchases several times over in 2023. Indonesia moved from the eighth- to the second-largest buyer of Vietnamese rice, after the Philippines last year.

    The Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development’s 2024 forecast suggests that Vietnamese agricultural products will continue to achieve many successes since the U.S., China, and many Middle Eastern countries favor Vietnamese agricultural products.

    The impact of El Nino is expected to reduce the global food supply, presenting an opportunity for Vietnamese agricultural products like rice, durian, and coffee.

    For instance, China continued to purchase Vietnamese durians at high prices as Vietnam is the only country with off-season fruits. For rice, seven Vietnamese enterprises won bids to supply 300,000 tons of rice, accounting for 60% of the amount of rice Indonesia wants to import in early-2024, earlier this month.

    However, the export of agricultural products also poses many challenges that require solutions from authorities.

    “Agriculture is still developing sporadically, small-scale, and spontaneously in Vietnam,” said Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development Le Minh Hoan.

    “So, authorities, associations, and businesses need to engage with farmers from the beginning to provide them with enough information, so that they can adjust production.”

    Minister Hoan also mentioned that the implementation of planting area codes has only been at a promotional level currently. The ministry will make it mandatory for farmers to comply soon.

    “Everything must meet standards and regulations to avoid the situation of spontaneous agricultural development,” he said.

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  • Durian exports to China soar on insatiable demand

    Durian exports to China soar on insatiable demand

    Approved for official export last year, China imports dozens of containers of durians daily from Vietnam.

    The port in Pingxiang City, which handles much of durian imports, has seen an inflow of the fruit from Vietnam large enough to rival Thailand, China’s main supplier, since last year.

    Nong Liqing, CEO of a fruit importer in the city, told Xinhua his firm has imported more than 1,600 containers of durians in the year to date.

    China has a huge demand for the spiky fruit.

    Last year it imported a total of 825,000 tons of the fruit for US$4.03 billion, the highest of any fruit, according to data from China’s customs.

    After the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a free-trade agreement between ASEAN and various trade partners including China, allowed Vietnamese durian access to the Chinese market, that country has become Vietnam’s biggest importer of the fruit.

    Wang Zhengbo, president of a fruit company in Guangxi, said that his firm had signed deals last year with 3,000 hectares of Vietnamese orchards.

    In the first 10 months of this year durian accounted for 51% of total vegetable and fruit exports, according to the Vietnam Fruits & Vegetables Association (Vinafruit).

    Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of Vinafruit, said the country has surpassed Malaysia and the Philippines in durian exports to China and is behind only Thailand.

    But Vietnamese durian is expected to be more competitive toward year-end as it has off-season durian ready to ship while Thailand usually struggles with unfavorable weather every year.

    Exporters are eyeing a figure of $2.5 billion this year, and prices might rise to a new peak next month.

    Since 2010 the area under durian in Vietnam has shot up from 92,000 ha to 131,000 ha, and the yield is estimated at one million tons this year, up 15.9% from 2022.

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  • Japan destroys five tons of durian, chili from Vietnam

    Japan destroys five tons of durian, chili from Vietnam

    In October, over five tons of Vietnamese durian and chili were destroyed in Japan for containing a higher dose of pesticide than the country’s standard.

    The batch of 1.4 tons of durian was exported on Oct. 5 by a company in Vietnam to Japan, where it was found to contain 0.03 parts per million (ppm) of procymidone over the Japanese standard of 0.01 ppm, according to a recent report by the commercial counselor of Vietnam in Japan.

    The batch of 4 tons of chili contained 0.2 ppm of tricyclazole and 0.03 ppm of hexaconazole against the standards of 0.01 ppm for both.

    Japanese quarantine authorities destroyed all the produce.

    Procymidone is used to kill unwanted ferns. Tricyclazole kills fungus, and hexaconazole prevents powdery mildew and other diseases.

    Do Van Dung, head of the community health faculty at Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said that the three pesticides are approved in many countries, and their harmful effects have only been researched on animals.

    It is, therefore, normal for these pesticides to be present on produce exported to Japan, and the fact that they exceeded Japanese standards does not mean that they would harm Vietnamese consumers.

    Some countries, such as Australia, allow a procymidone level in garlic by up to 5 milligrams per kilogram against Japan’s 0.1 mg/kg.

    Ta Duc Minh, the commercial counselor of Vietnam in Japan, said that he has informed Vietnamese authorities to prevent a similar incident.

    Many other developed countries also fail to meet Japan’s standards from time to time as this is a difficult market that requires high quality.

    Japan was Vietnam’s third biggest export market of agriculture, forestry and seafood in the first 10 months, accounting for 7.4% of the total.

    Vegetables and fruits exports rose 6.6% year-on-year to $150 million.

    Durian exports to Japan fell 12.3% year-on-year to $1.3 million.

  • Durian export rises 14 time

    Durian export rises 14 time

    Vietnam’s durian export reached $1.63 billion in the first nine months, 14 times higher than the figure of same period last year, according to statistic of the General Department of Customs.

    In the reviewed period, fruit and vegetable exports totaled $4.21 billion, a surge of 72.5% equivalent to $1.77 billion year on year.

    Durian has surpassed jackfruit, dragon fruit, watermelon, banana and lychee to become the biggest foreign currency earner in Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable industry, accounting for 38.7% of the industry’s total export value.

    China is the largest importer of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetables with a turnover hitting $2.75 billion, skyrocketing 160% compared to the same period last year.

    Currently, Vietnamese durian is exported mainly to China. Vietnam has 422 growing areas and 153 packaging facilities eligible to export the fruit to China.

    Sixty four other growing areas and 15 packaging facilities are completing procedures to have Chinese authorities to grant codes for the export. In addition, more than 600 growing area codes and 50 packaging facilities will apply for codes for the export of durian to China.

  • Businesses suffer as durian farmers seek higher prices

    Businesses suffer as durian farmers seek higher prices

    Businesses are crying foul as farmers are not honoring deals with them to sell durian and are instead seeking to sell their produce to others for higher prices.

    Van Hoa, a durian packaging and exporting company with a capacity of 100,000 tons a year, has lost out on many contracts recently.

    “We committed early to pay VND60,000-80,000 (US$2.49-3.32) per kilogram, but close to harvest season traders came and offered up to VND100,000, which resulted in many farmers canceling their deals with us,” Van Hoa director of foreign affairs Le Anh Trung said at a forum Monday.

    Van Hoa therefore could not fulfill its export orders and has suffered losses on each shipment.

    The company has decided not to make early commitments to farmers in future, meaning there is no guarantee they will be able to sell their harvests.

    Nguyen Huu Chien, director of trading company Tan Lap Dong in Dak Lak Province, said he did not have enough durian to sell to two export partners after farmers dishonored their deals with him.

    “When we businesses give farmers a price quote in the morning, traders will come in the afternoon and offer higher prices.”

    These traders are often not precise in following Chinese origin tracing standards and therefore could cause Vietnam to lose this major market, he warned.

    Speculators need to be penalized, he added.

    Ngo Xuan Nam, deputy director of the Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point, said authorities are reviewing the process of producing and exporting durian.

    He also ordered local authorities to suspend the activities of farmers who do not follow origin tracing protocols.

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan called on businesses and farmers to establishing stronger commitments starting in the early phase of a crop.

    Local authorities need to ensure that farmers follow origin tracing protocols since durian is the face of Vietnamese agriculture, he added.

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  • Musang King durian moon cake prices up 10%

    Musang King durian moon cake prices up 10%

    Musang King durian moon cake prices, made with the popular durian variety originally from Malaysia, have increased by 2-10% year-on-year in Vietnam.

    Their cost ranges between VND900,000 ($37.90) to VND1.7 million per box. Last year, the most expensive product sold for around VND1.5 million.

    Hoang Anh, a moon cake vendor in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3, sold out 500 boxes of Musang King and Black Thorn moon cakes in two weeks last year.

    She has doubled her imports this year.

    “We have to order five months in advance as the manufacturer needs to prepare durian beforehand.”

    A major distributor in HCMC plans to sell nearly 30,000 cakes this year, triple the amount last year.

    The cakes are mostly imported from Malaysia. Other markets that also sell them are Singapore and Hong Kong.

    Industry insiders say prices have gone up due to rising ingredient costs.

    Moon cake is a popular type of desert in Asian countries. It is often enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the middle of Lunar August, which falls on Sep 29 this year.

  • Durian exports exploides

    Durian exports exploides

    According to Vietnam Customs, Durian exports increased 19-fold year-on-year in the first half of this year to US$876 million.

    Of this, China alone accounted for $835 million.

    Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruits and Vegetables Association, said durian is harvested in May-June in the southern provinces and August-December in the Central Highlands.

    The Government has signed many protocols and free trade agreements that foster the development of local fruit and vegetable market, he said.

    Recently durian has been recently bought at high prices by Chinese firms and small traders. Since transportation from Vietnam to China does not take long short, the fruits remain fresh, giving them a competitive advantage over Thai exports.

    First-grade durian is now sold at the farm gate at VND85,000-100,000 ($3.59-4.22) per kilogram.

    Exporters said the quality is higher this year than in previous years. Domestic demand was up 10-15% in the first half.

    According to the Department of Crop Production, durian is grown on 110,300 hectares now compared to just 37,000 ha as recently as in 2017.

    This year’s output is estimated at 1 million tons, 15.9% higher than last year, and 400,000-500,000 tons are expected to be exported for some $1.5 billion.

    Last year Thailand exported more than 800,000 tons, earning $3.5 billion.

  • Thailand expedites durian exports to compete with Vietnam

    Thailand expedites durian exports to compete with Vietnam

    Thai exporters are halving the time it takes to deliver durian to China, from 8 days to four days, in order to better compete with Vietnam over the pungent fruit.

    Thailand shipped 477,700 tons of fresh durian to China in the first five months, valued at a record high of $1.75 billion and the highest in 30 years, according to official data.

    This is because the country has been utilizing a new railway connecting it with Laos and China which help reduce transportation time.

    TerapongTechasathian, Assistant Chief Operation Officer at Pan-Asia Silk Road Ltd, which operates the railway, said that in April the company set the record by transporting 25 containers of durians from Thailand to China in one day.

    The train arrived at the destination in 4.5 days, quicker than the original estimate of six days, he added.

    In March, Thailand raised its durian export quality to retain Chinese customers.

    CEO of Vietnam’s fruit exporters Vina T&T, Nguyen Dinh Tung, said that Thailand is making moves to consolidate its durian market share in China amid rising competition from Vietnam.

    Vietnamese fresh durian exports to China in the first five months surged 18 times to $477 million. China accounted for 95% of all durian exports from Vietnam.

    Vietnamese durian can be harvested all year round, which is an advantage compared to Thai durian, Tung said. But Thailand has more advantage in shipment time, he added.

    Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of Vietnam Fruits & Vegetables Association, said that Vietnam’s border with China means it is easier to export to there by road.

    Exporting by train from Thailand to China is fast but costly, he added.

    Vietnamese exporters need to be prepared to compete with rising competition not only from Thailand but also Malaysia and the Philippines for the Chinese market, with demand forecast to reach 2 million tons a year in the future, Nguyen said.

    Increasing exports quality, building brands and investing in technology to enhance preservation are key tasks, he added.

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  • Chinese increased demand boosts Vietnam’s durian exports

    Chinese increased demand boosts Vietnam’s durian exports

    Vietnam’s durian export value reached more than US$500 million in the first five months, an increase of more than 18 times against the same period last year.

    According to the General Department of Customs, during the period, vegetable and fruit exports stayed at $2.03 billion, up 43% over the same period last year.

    The main contributor to the increase in Vietnam’s farm exports was durian.

    In May, the export value of durian reached the highest level ever, at $332 million, more than 10 times higher than the previous month.

    In the first five months, durian export value hit $503.4 million, more than 18 times higher than the same period last year. Among the import markets, China was the biggest buyer with a value of $477 million.

    China controls its technical barriers for food safety and hygiene, but the quality of Vietnamese goods has increasingly improved and consumers favor their competitive prices, a representative of a fruit and vegetable export company in HCMC, who wants to stay unnamed said.

    Vietnam currently has 293 farming areas and 115 durian packing facilities granted with official codes to export to China.

    In May, Vietnamese durian entered its harvest season, contributing to increasing export volume and value.

    Two weeks ago, some 700 trucks, most of them carrying durian, were stuck trying to enter China from Vietnam’s Lang Son Province, prompting Vietnamese authorities to negotiate with their Chinese counterparts to solve the congestion.

    China has agreed to extend the working time for customs clearance of farm products from Vietnam by two more hours to 10 p.m. (Hanoi time).

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  • Black Thorn durian gaining popularity in Vietnam despite high prices

    Black Thorn durian gaining popularity in Vietnam despite high prices

    Farmers grow it in the Mekong Delta and their trees have borne fruits this harvest season.

    The most expensive durian variety in Vietnam costs nine times the price of Ri6 and 2.5 times that of Musang King, another premium variety originating in Malaysia.

    A woman named Loan in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 5 said she recently paid VND5.6 million for three Black Thorn durians weighing a total seven kilograms.

    “It has a thin rind and a lot of flesh that is really delicious and soft.”

    Lan in Hanoi said: “I’ve waited for one week now to buy two Black Thorn fruits.”

    But since it is a recent entrant, there is not much Black Thorn grown in Vietnam yet.

    A farm could only supply 50-100 kg at a time, and that is not enough to meet demand, fruit sellers said.

    As the first to grow the variety, Thuc in the delta’s Ben Tre Province said he has been growing it since 2019 and now has around 20 trees.

    He said each season would produce 60 kg of fruits on average.

    “I’m about to harvest 200 kg of them but cannot meet the demand. This variety grows well in the Mekong Delta, so we will grow more.

    He sells the durians at VND450,000-500,000 per kilogram at his farm.

    In Can Tho too farmers are growing Black Thorn.

    Trader Dang Mang Khuong said the variety is better than Musang King since it weighs 1.5-3kg each and has four or five locules each.

    Farmers also said Black Thorn has a faster growth rate compared to Ri6 and some other varieties.

    A tree starts to fruit after two to three years, they added.

  • Vietnam-grown Musang King durian prices plunge by half

    Vietnam-grown Musang King durian prices plunge by half

    Vietnam-grown Musang King durian has seen prices plunging by half in Vietnam in over two months due to abundant supply.

    Loan in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8 is selling a kilogram of Musang King durian flesh at VND650,000 ($27.68), down by half from early March.

    This is the lowest price of the variety she has seen in five years selling the fruit.

    “There is an abundant supply from southern localities. Two years ago I had to order a week in advance, but now I can source them daily.”

    A vendor in District 1 has been sourcing two or three kilograms of each shipment amid falling prices.

    “I have been buying four times as much as in March,” the vendor said.

    On social media sellers are offering “unprecedentedly low prices” at VND700,000 per kilogram of flesh.

    In the south, farmers are selling their Musang King durian at around VND130,000-150,000 per kilogram for the whole fruit.

    Oanh in Can Tho said she recently sold a ton at VND150,000, down 40% in price from a month ago.

    Dang Manh Khuong, a trader in the same city, said that the abundant supply has caused durian prices to fall by 50-70% in recent months, depending on the variety.

    Although durian is now in harvest season in Mekong Delta provinces, Chinese buyers have been cutting their purchases, causing a price drop.

    Malaysia’s Musang King is considered the “best durian in the world” and grown by Vietnamese farmers in the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta.

    Industry insiders estimate that the Musang King production in Vietnam has surged by up to fivefold in the last few years.

  • China to accept durian grown in 293 more areas in Vietnam

    China to accept durian grown in 293 more areas in Vietnam

    China has approved another 293 farming areas and 115 packaging facilities in Vietnam for export of fresh durian to it, eight months after the two countries signed a protocol.

    Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is working with China’s General Administration of Customs for the approval of another 400 farming areas and 60 packaging facilities.

    Vietnam first exported the fruit to China in September last year, and ended up shipping 46,000 tons for the year, or 78% of total exports.

    Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit Association, said the approval of more durian farming areas would encourage more farmers and traders to export to China.

    Durian could be harvested through the year, its output is large and Vietnam could transport the fruit faster to China than could Thailand, where it has been grown for dozens of years, he said.

    But Vietnam needs to improve quality and build brands to compete in the large Chinese market, he added.

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  • Vietnamese fruit exports to China and Laos surge

    Vietnamese fruit exports to China and Laos surge

    The export of bananas, durians, and jackfruit from Vietnam to China and Laos surged in the year’s first four months.

    The export value of vegetables and fruits reached $1.39 billion, up 19.4% over the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    China led the consumption of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables with 58.7% market share, valued at $576.4 million in the first quarter of the year, up 27.4% over the same period in 2022.

    Laos, South Korea and Japan also increased imports of Vietnamese fruits. Exports of Vietnamese vegetables and fruits to Laos increased the most, by 2.8 times.

    Durian, jackfruit and banana had a significant increase in exports. In the first quarter, Vietnam’s durian export turnover reached $153.5 million, up more than 8.3 times over the same period last year. China accounted for 87% of the market share with a turnover of $133.6 million.

    Thousands of tons of durian have been exported to China every month. Vietnamese durians are ordered in large quantities because of their good quality, suitability for local tastes and prices that are more attractive than produce from Malaysia and Thailand.

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  • Durian prices plunge 40% in a month

    Durian prices plunge 40% in a month

    Ri6 durian prices grown in the Mekong Delta have plunged by 30-40% to VND50,000-55,000 ($2.13-2.34) per kilogram from early April.

    Prices in the localities of Tien Giang, Ben Tre and Can Tho, where most of the fruit is grown, have plummeted 70% since early February.

    Vendors say that prices have fallen because Chinese buyers have reduced purchases.

    “There is a large supply of Ri6 durian. Some farmers harvest hundreds of tons daily,” said vendor Linh in Tien Giang.

    She added that the Chinese buyers she knew were not rushing to buy more as durian in Thailand and the Philippines were also starting to ripen for harvest.

    Thailand has long been exporting large quantities of durian to China, while the Philippines obtained permits to export to this country earlier this year.

    China is also growing its own durian to meet domestic needs. The country has over 93 hectares of the fruit on Hainan Island.

    Laos has agreed to set aside 30,000 hectares of agricultural land to grow durian specifically for the Chinese market, equivalent to around 27% of Vietnam’s durian farming area.

    Vietnamese durian was the fastest-growing export to China among fruits in the first two months of this year, rising by 291% year-on-year to $56.9 million.

    The country’s farming area reached 110,000 hectares by the end of last year after the country was allowed to export the fruit to China officially. This exceeded the government’s plan by nearly 47%.

    Two main types of durian grow in the region, Ri6 and Monthong.

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  • Vietnam-grown Musang King durian more expensive than imports

    Vietnam-grown Musang King durian more expensive than imports

    A kilogram of Vietnam-grown Musang King now costs VND1.5-1.8 million ($64-$76), 20% higher than imports of the same varietal.

    A kilogram of husked local Vietnamese Musang King ranges from VND500,000-850,000 per kilogram, equivalent to VND1.5-1.8 million per kilogram (husk removed). The price has increased 10% over a year ago.

    Malaysia’s Musang King is considered the “best durian in the world” and is currently grown by Vietnamese farmers in the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta.

    The fruit regularly sells out at local markets, and buyers must wait two weeks and a month to receive their stocks.

    Oanh, a durian connoisseur in Ho Chi Minh City, said Musang King durian flesh is fragrant, supple and fat. “I have to pay deposits a month in advance to receive the goods.”

    A fruit shop in Hanoi also reported that it had just sold 10 unhusked Musang Kings for VND700,000 per kg (2-4 kg per fruit).

    “Since it is a fallen fruit, and is shipped by air, the quality is high. No matter how many we have, customers buy them all,” the store manager said.

    Explaining the high price of Vietnam-grown Musang King durian, Can Tho wholesaler Dang Manh Khuong said that durian is currently out of season, so low supplies have led to increased demand.

    “I can only find a few dozen Musang Kings to buy a day, sometimes 2-3 quintals at most,” he said.

    Hoa, who owns about 50 Musang King trees in Can Tho, said that her garden only has a few trees that bear fruit early, so most of her crop will not be harvested until August.

    Vietnamese farmers here can grow the fruit in the offseason, while other regional producers cannot.

    In addition to scarce supply, according to traders, the fresh Vietnam-grown varietal has higher transportation costs, and is more difficult to preserve than frozen imported goods, so the price is higher.

    “In July-August, when this fruit is in full season, and output is high, the price will cool down,” Khuong predicted.

    Musang King durian is oval, not too large, and weighs 2-4 kg. The husk is dark green and has huge spikes. A groove in the middle of the peduncle and stem characterizes the species.

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