The durian season in Mekong Delta provinces has just drawn to a close. For farmers, after a highly volatile harvest, what they must calculate is not merely the selling price, but how to maintain orchards, preserve fruit quality, and secure stable off-take channels.

At times, orchard-gate durian prices reached 150,000 VND/kg, but they also plunged to 25,000–30,000 VND/kg. Remarkably, even when prices hit bottom, enterprises still struggled to source sufficient volumes of export-grade durian.

Durian market "stumbles" after harvest, western Mekong delta farmers face immense pressure

Speaking at a recent seminar on sustainable durian value-chain development, Dr. Doan Huu Tien, Director of the Technology Transfer Center at the Southern Horticultural Research Institute (SOFRI), stated that durian exports were relatively smooth during the first 3 months of 2026. However, starting in April, the market began facing difficulties.

At precisely that point, Thailand entered its peak harvest with heavy exports to China, coinciding with the peak harvest across the Southwestern region of Vietnam.

"The resonance of supply from both sides exerted intense supply pressure on the market, leading to an oversupply," Dr. Tien analyzed.

Sampling and testing for export also faced delays at times. Shipments unable to export had to be redirected to the domestic market. Orchard-gate prices tumbled swiftly, dropping to just 25,000–30,000 VND/kg in some areas.

Speaking with a reporter from Dan Viet, Mr. Vo Tan Loi, President of the Dong Thap Durian Association and an exporter himself, encountered a different paradox: while domestic durian prices dropped sharply, export-standard fruit was difficult to find.

"As an exporter searching for fruit to export, I could not find a single export-standard fruit available on the street," Mr. Loi said.

According to Mr. Loi, export-grade fruit must strictly satisfy requirements regarding cosmetic appearance, weight, pulp quality, sweetness, and Brix levels (dissolved solids, primarily sugar content).

This issue is particularly notable as Dong Thap's durian cultivation area has grown rapidly. In 2020, the province had about 14,700 ha. This expanded to 32,100 ha in 2025 and nearly 34,000 ha in 2026, making Dong Thap the largest durian-producing province in the Mekong Delta.

Rapid expansion provides larger volume, but also exposes growers to oversupply risks when multiple production areas harvest simultaneously.

Dr. Doan Huu Tien noted that spontaneous durian cultivation still occurs in some localities where soil, water resources, capital, and technical capabilities remain inadequate.

"Durian is still regarded as a rich man's crop. Only with sufficient capital, skilled labor, and fertile land can one achieve high yields of superior quality," Dr. Tien affirmed.

For farmers, falling prices paired with hefty input costs generate severe financial strain. Cutting back on investment weakens trees and impairs fruit quality; conversely, maintaining high capital inputs during low-price cycles easily leads to losses.

Durian market demands farmers change practices to preserve export value

Reflecting on the recent harvest, Mr. Vo Tan Loi highlighted inconsistent durian quality across orchards as a major concern.

Some households apply excessive nitrogen, while others rely heavily on potassium. Care protocols, pollination, and plant protection practices also diverge. Consequently, harvested durians lack uniformity in size, maturity, and pulp quality.

"Farmers must strictly adhere to advanced technical workflows. Durian supplied to the market must be clean and of premium quality," Mr. Loi emphasized.

This aligns directly with increasingly stringent requirements from the Chinese durian market.

Statistically, Dong Thap currently possesses 407 export growing area codes. For the Chinese market alone, the province holds 185 codes covering nearly 14,000 ha.

However, growing area codes deliver real value only when farmers adhere to standardized protocols.

According to Mr. Tran Thanh Tam, Head of the Plant Cultivation and Protection Sub-department of Dong Thap Province, exports to China must fulfill two primary requirements: phytosanitary clearance and food safety.

Within these, Cadmium contamination and Auramine O residues receive heightened scrutiny.

Cadmium previously emerged as a significant bottleneck for Mekong Delta durians. According to Mr. Loi, excessive use of inorganic fertilizers without adequate quality control of fertilizer sources may be among the contributing causes.

Following the harvest season, farmers must thoroughly review orchard management practices: what types of fertilizers are applied, how plant protection chemicals are used, and whether farming logs are recorded comprehensively.

According to Dr. Doan Huu Tien, localities must curb spontaneous acreage expansion and concentrate strictly on zones with suitable agro-ecological conditions. Farmers must also step-by-step adopt VietGAP practices, properly maintain growing area codes, and implement origin traceability.

Linkages among farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises must become more substantive, ensuring growers clearly understand required product standards and target market demands.

Another long-term vulnerability is Vietnam's heavy reliance on China, which absorbs over 90% of current export volume.

Alongside market diversification, investing in cold storage, flash freezing, and deep processing is imperative. Relying solely on fresh fruit sales during peak harvest leaves prices highly vulnerable to downward pressure whenever export bottlenecks occur, Dr. Tien noted.

Fundamentally, farmers must maintain intrinsic fruit quality. According to Mr. Vo Tan Loi, when fruit fails to meet standards, farmers bear part of the responsibility rather than placing all blame on traders or exporters, as importers have the right to select premium fruit.

During high-price periods, growers tend to pursue output aggressively without controlling fertilizers and pesticides. When the market fluctuates, they hesitate to invest further for fear of incurring losses. This inconsistency remains a core weakness in farmers' production practices.

"Growers should not lose heart. Even when multiple exporting countries harvest simultaneously, if Vietnamese durian remains delicious, clean, and standard-compliant, international importers will continue to choose our fruit," Mr. Loi shared.

Source: Bao dien tu Dan Viet