The price of Monthong durian grade A at the warehouse increased to 150,000 VND per kilogram, Ri 6 was 115,000 VND, double compared to two months ago.

At the end of the durian season in the Central Highlands, supply began to be scarce, causing prices to increase. According to a survey over the past week, the price at the warehouse for Ri 6 type A (2.7 boxes, 2-5 kg) was 135,000 VND per kg, while in early August it was around 50,000-55,000 VND. Similarly, Monthong durian also increased from 70,000 VND to 150,000 VND per kg. For type B (2.5 boxes), Ri 6 costs 115,000 VND, and Monthong is 130,000 VND.

Mr. Hoang, a durian trader, said that the supply was in short supply as the durian season in the Central Highlands was about to end. Traders like him were forced to switch to buying off-season durian from the Mekong Delta provinces. However, off-season output was not enough to meet demand.

"Before, I could buy 10 tons a day, but now I can only buy 1-2 tons," said Mr. Hoang, who said the price of durian is expected to continue to increase until February next year.

Durian at a garden in the West. Photo: Manh Khuong

Export purchasing companies are also adjusting prices due to domestic supply shortages. A representative of a business in the Central Highlands said they moved purchasing stations to the West to collect off-season goods and meet the needs of partners.

According to Ms. Hong, the owner of an off-season durian garden in Cai Lay district (Tien Giang), due to unfavorable weather, this year's durians bloomed late, and the harvest time was longer. The current output is not much, but the price has skyrocketed compared to the main crop. "Traders are paying 100,000 VND per kilogram of Monthong durian cut in buckets for the whole garden," she shared.

In the first 10 months of this year, fruit and vegetable exports are estimated at 6.4 billion USD, of which durian accounts for nearly half, 3 billion USD. China is the main export market for this fruit. In addition to fresh fruit, the signing of the frozen durian export protocol between Vietnam and China has opened up great opportunities for the agricultural sector. Frozen durian exports to this billion-people market could reach 400-500 million USD this year.

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, predicted that durian prices will increase further as Chinese consumers increase their purchases as gifts during the holidays and Tet.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, domestic and foreign demand for fruits and vegetables will increase sharply in the last quarter of the year, along with the effectiveness of new protocols. This is the driving force to help Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports grow sustainably.

It is forecasted that the whole year, fruit and vegetable export turnover will exceed 7 billion USD, an increase of more than 25% compared to 2023. Of which, durian could reach a record 3.5 billion USD. This will be a new milestone for the fruit and vegetable industry, in which durian still plays a key role.

Last year, Vietnam exported 500,000 tons of fresh durian, reaching 2.3 billion USD, with 90% exported to China. Currently, the country has 154,000 hectares of durian, with an output of nearly 1.2 million tons, expected to grow 15% per year.

Source: VnExpress