Recently, on many streets in Ho Chi Minh City, an increasing number of impromptu roadside stalls have appeared, selling fruits such as mangoes, jackfruits, dragon fruits, and durians at "dirt cheap" prices.

Specifically, guavas, mangoes, and dragon fruits cost only 8,000–15,000 VND/kg depending on the variety, jackfruits go for 10,000–15,000 VND/kg, and durians are priced at 50,000–60,000 VND/kg.

Many farmers across various localities report heavy losses as their flagship fruits—such as durians, dragon fruits, Thai jackfruits, and guavas—face consumption hardships and deep price drops.

For instance, in Tien Giang Province, the procurement price for Monthong durians (Thai variety) at warehouses fluctuates around 72,000–76,000 VND/kg depending on the grade, while grade A Ri6 durians sit around 37,000–47,000 VND/kg depending on the grade—a drop of 20,000–30,000 VND/kg compared to the same period in previous years.

Many farming families share that due to soaring production costs, especially with fertilizer prices anchoring at high levels, Ri6 durian growers are barely breaking even or losing money; only those with exceptional yields manage to pocket a tiny profit.

Thai jackfruit prices also stand at low levels, fetching a mere 2,000–5,000 VND/kg at the orchard depending on the grade, a massive tumble from the days when prices used to hit 15,000–20,000 VND/kg. Disheartened, many orchard owners do not even bother to harvest, leaving the jackfruits to rot and drop all over the ground.

Meanwhile, despite just entering the early harvest season, dragon fruit prices at orchards in Binh Thuan and Long An remain deeply depressed, slumping by more than 50% compared to the previous month.

Specifically, the prevailing farm-gate price for white-flesh dragon fruit stands at only 2,000–5,000 VND/kg for unsorted lots, with certain lower grades hitting a rock bottom of 1,000 VND/kg. Similarly, unsorted guavas fetch just 2,000–4,000 VND/kg, Taiwanese mangoes run 2,000–5,000 VND/kg, and watermelons hover around 3,000–6,000 VND/kg.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quoc Trinh—Chairman of the Long An Dragon Fruit Association, compared to last year, dragon fruit prices have plummeted severely. Even during the off-season, prices remain low, inflicting heavy losses on numerous orchard owners.

“Output has not expanded much, but demand has shrunk. In particular, soaring fuel prices at certain times have driven up transportation costs, causing many traders and enterprises to scale back buying and selling activities, which in turn dragged prices down,” Mr. Trinh stated.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre recently, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association, noted that the “bumper crop, plunging prices” paradox is nothing new, but it has triggered more frequently of late due to rising supplies coupled with volatile outlets.

Specifically, China absorbs more than 90% of Vietnam's fresh durian volume and a major portion of its dragon fruits and mangoes, yet its demand lacks stability, and technical barriers are consistently raised.

Consequently, domestic fruit prices easily face market gluts and price collapses during peak harvest seasons. “It is high time for the State to exercise its regulatory role in planning cultivation areas, supporting farmers to transition production methods, and upgrading quality standards.

Notably, the durian harvest season lasts until November with massive output, and it is projected to surge robustly in the coming years. Therefore, it is critical to promptly expand export markets and step up processing capacities, particularly for deep-frozen durians,” Mr. Nguyen recommended.

According to many enterprises, while the Chinese market is opening its doors to an increasing variety of Vietnamese fruits, it is simultaneously tightening quality controls; durians, in particular, no longer find easy passage across this border. Therefore, growers can no longer afford the mindset of "selling whatever they can produce," but must quickly elevate quality to diversify their market reach.

Furthermore, there is an urgent need to drastically scale up both the capacity and quantity of testing laboratories. The shortage of domestic testing labs fails to satisfy enterprise demands, especially during peak harvest seasons, directly hindering the export of durians specifically and fruits in general.

Source: Tuoi Tre Online