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Tag: durian

  • Chinese traders eager to buy Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s durian from Laos

    Chinese traders are looking to buy durian from Vietnamese agriculture giant Hoang Anh Gia Lai three months before its first harvest of the fruit.

    The company’s 1,200 hectares of durian in Laos has many five-year old trees, each producing 20-30 fruits of between two and four kilograms.

    Around 200-300 hectares are set to yield ripe fruits in August, but traders have already been inquiring, starting last month, the company’s chairman, Doan Nguyen Duc, said.

    “We have yet to sell because we are waiting for better prices as harvest season nears,” he told VnExpress in an interview.

    He expected the company to earn revenues of VND200 billion (US$7.9 million) from 2,000 tons of durian this year and possibly VND1 trillion next year.

    Hoang Anh Gia Lai has hired 10 durian experts from Thailand as consultants, and they will visit every year to ensure quality.

    Duc said the Chinese durian market is set to become more competitive with Malaysia successfully negotiating a deal to export fresh durian to it.

    But there is potential for export to other markets such as the U.S., India and Japan, he said.

    In Vietnam, his company has 60 ha of durian that are set to fruit for a second year.

    It eyes revenues of VND7.7 trillion ($302 million) this year, up 20.3% from last year, mainly from durian, banana and pork.

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  • Thailand heatwave gives Vietnam edge in durian exports to China

    Thailand heatwave gives Vietnam edge in durian exports to China

    Thai industry insiders say the ongoing heatwave in Thailand might reduce durian production, allowing Vietnam to increase its supply to China.

    A heatwave in April and May reduced Thailand’s harvest, which normally commands higher prices than its Vietnamese peers.

    In April the country recorded a temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius, compared to the all-time record of 44.6 degrees last year. So far this year Thailand has recorded 61 people dying over heatstroke, higher than the total number in 2023.

    High heat causes the skin to crack or the fibers to dry out in some durians, Sam Sin, development director at S&F Produce Group, a Thai firm that exports durian to China said.

    In China’s Zhejiang province, fruit importer Huang Dapeng mentioned in a WeChat forum that some durians were becoming “overheated,” leading to their sale at prices below the market rate.

    Farmers reported that the heat is causing durians to ripen more quickly, preventing them from reaching their full size and reducing their market value.

    According to China’s General Administration of Customs, in April, China’s import price for Thai durians was US$5.80 per kilogram, marginally higher than the overall average of US$5.38 per kilogram. In contrast, Vietnamese durians were priced at US$4.22 per kilogram.

    Thai durians exported to China in the first four months of 2024 had lost 49% of their value over the same period last year.

    Another concern for Thai durian growers is drought, which could reduce the yields.

    The serve weather condition may reduce Thailand’s durian production this year by 42%, or around 540,000 tons, the Nation quoted Aat Pisanwanich, an expert on international economics and adviser to Intelligent Research Consultancy as saying.

    Vietnam gains on Thailand

    Drought and heatwaves increase durian production costs in Thailand, as farmers face additional expenses to transport water to their farms to sustain their durian trees.

    Conversely, Vietnamese exporters, who gained permission to sell fresh durians in China about three years ago, benefit from cost savings by shipping the fruit across a single land border.

    This logistical advantage results in lower prices for Vietnamese durians. In April, China’s import price for Vietnamese durians was 27% lower than that of Thai durians, at $4.22 per kilogram, according to data from China’s General Administration of Custom

    In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam exported 36,800 tonnes of durian to China, compared to just 17,900 tonnes from Thailand, official data show.

    Thailand maintained a 66% market share in China during the first four months of this year. However, according to Chinese customs data, Vietnam’s share by value rose by 82% in the period.

    Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of Vietnam Fruits & Vegetables Association, said that farmers in the southern region have successfully applied new techniques in growing durian.

    “Durian is a strong advantage for Vietnam in competing for the China market. There are times when Vietnamese sellers are the only ones with supply”, he said.

    Last year China bought $2.1 billion worth of durian from Vietnam, but the figure can reach as high as $3 billion this year, he added.

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  • Thailand targets $3.5B durian exports in 2024

    Thailand targets $3.5B durian exports in 2024

    Thailand is poised to export approximately one million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion baht ($3.5 billion) this year, according to Thai PBS World.<

    In line with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s directives, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is tasked with drafting regulations to prevent the sale of unripe or inferior durians.

    This includes setting dry weight standards for various durian varieties: 32% for Monthong, 30% for Chanee, and 28% for Kra Dum, as detailed by Chai Wacharonke, a spokesperson for Srettha.

    The initiative aims to discourage the premature harvesting and selling of durians, thereby improving the fruit’s quality and export competitiveness, said Chai.

    Furthering its commitment to quality and market stability, Thailand recently signed a memorandum of understanding with China to promote and secure stable prices for tropical fruit exports from Thailand to China, the English platform of the Chinese state news agency China News Service, reports.

    This agreement facilitates the importation of approximately 20,000 tons of durians and mangosteens, worth over 3 billion baht ($82.44 million), by China from Thailand from April to June this year.

    Durian export, generating 120 billion baht in revenue last year, plays an increasingly crucial role in Thailand’s economy.

    Thailand, producing 900,000 tons of durian annually, exports nearly two-thirds of this output primarily to China.

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  • Vietnam beats Thailand at durian exports to China

    Vietnam beats Thailand at durian exports to China

    Vietnam has surpassed Thailand as the top durian exporter to China, shipping 32,750 tons in the first two months of 2024.

    This accounted for 57% of China’s imports, up from 32% last year, according to Vietnam Customs.

    Vietnam’s export of the fruit to China rose by 2.4 times year-on-year.

    Thailand saw its exports plunge by half to 19,000 tons.

    At US$4,916 per container, Vietnam’s export price was almost 20% lower than Thailand’s.

    Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruits & Vegetables Association, said Vietnam’s weather allows durian to be grown all year round.

    It shares a border with China, which offers it an advantage in transportation.

    Farmers have been hiking durian prices in recent months thanks to high demand from China.

    In March the prices of the highest quality Monthong variety in the Mekong Delta were up 15% from a year earlier to VND218,000-230,000 ($8.7-9.2) per kilogram.

    Vietnam’s durian exports are expected to top $3.5 billion this year, up 66% from last year.

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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.