Dragon fruit prices have unexpectedly rebounded after a prolonged downslide, yet many growers remain unable to celebrate. While premium-grade dragon fruit faces shortages, poor-quality fruit has collapsed to just VND 2,000 per kilo, with many localities resorting to feeding it to cattle.

The underlying cause is that most growers have wrapped up harvesting, or where fruit remains, late-season quality is sub-par, leaving the proportion of visually appealing fruit capable of commanding premium rates exceedingly scarce.

Premium fruit runs scarce, low grades fed to... cattle

Nguyen Dong, owner of a dragon fruit procurement depot in Tan Thuan Binh Commune (Dong Thap), stated that following a steep downturn, dragon fruit prices across Dong Thap are rising once again.

Compared to roughly ten days ago, dragon fruit prices across various grades have climbed by around VND 5,000/kg. Grade 2 red-fleshed dragon fruit is currently being procured by traders at farm gates for VND 23,000–25,000/kg, Grade 3 at VND 12,000–14,000/kg, and Grade 4 at VND 5,000–7,000/kg.

According to Dong, the season is drawing to a close, meaning supplies are no longer abundant, which is driving up prices. Many orchards have completed their harvest and are preparing artificial lighting treatments to induce off-season flowering.

Do Thanh Hiep, Director of Hoa Le Clean Dragon Fruit Cooperative (Ham Thuan Commune, Lam Dong Province), also noted that farmers are wrapping up the main crop of the year, commonly known as the natural in-season harvest. Following this round, growers will tend their groves for the off-season cycle, running from December through April of the following year.

During the natural season, dragon fruit trees do not require artificial lighting induction, keeping production costs lower. However, toward the tail end of the season, persistent rainfall degrades fruit quality. Fungal diseases and brown planthoppers also damage the peel, reducing the yield of high-grade fruit. In fact, many groves yield zero Grade 1 fruit, Grade 2 volumes remain marginal, and Grades 3 and 4 make up the vast majority.

When fruit quality falls short, most produce can only be absorbed domestically or exported at depressed price levels. Consequently, even though headline prices have rebounded, few orchards meet necessary quality specifications. Several growers have found no commercial outlet whatsoever, forced to discard their harvest or repurpose it as cattle feed.

In Ho Chi Minh City, fruit depots are listing dragon fruit at VND 10,000–15,000/kg for visually appealing fruit, while lower grades fetch just VND 5,000–8,000/kg.

Hoang Diem, a resident of Tam Binh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, shared that current dragon fruit prices are low. However, because it is not a favored fruit in her household, she only buys modest quantities to support familiar vendors.

Are all dragon fruit orchards seeing price collapses?

Speaking to Dan Tri, Nguyen Dinh Tung, General Director of Vina T&T Group, argued that selling prices cannot be generalized across all dragon fruit on the market.

Consignments meeting export criteria still command viable markets and comparatively solid price levels, whereas non-compliant produce is forced to seek secondary outlets at heavily discounted rates.

Citing an example, Tung explained that his company procures dragon fruit for export to Japan, Australia, and similar markets at around VND 24,000/kg, whereas fruit from non-compliant orchards fetches merely VND 2,000–5,000/kg.

According to Do Thanh Hiep, a paradox persists: while dragon fruit is in harvest and the majority of growers are selling at distressed rates, export-grade fruit meeting standards for destinations like Japan and Australia remains in short supply to fulfill partner commitments.

In practice, satisfying these high-standard markets requires strict adherence to quality parameters and cultivation protocols.

“Cultivating high-grade dragon fruit demands substantial time and labor, requiring at least 2 to 3 years of persistent effort to achieve noticeable quality improvements. As a result, many growers give up, returning to uncontrolled farming. With uncontrolled farming, prices float freely and experience erratic swings,” Hiep shared.

Nguyen Van Muoi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT), also pointed out that for dragon fruit to develop sustainably over the long haul, the focus must shift beyond yield to upgrading quality, cutting production costs, stabilizing offtake, and diversifying destination markets.

Rather than expanding acreage, growers and agribusinesses must proactively adopt sustainable cultivation models, secure certifications such as GlobalGAP, apply energy-efficient lighting technologies, and develop deep processing into juices, dried fruit snacks, and confectionery.

Diversifying markets and increasing the proportion of export-grade produce will not only help dragon fruit reach high-value outlets, but also alleviate supply pressure during peak harvesting windows.

“Farmers can scale back natural in-season acreage and intensify off-season cultivation to avoid clashing harvests with regional producers like China, Thailand, or Indonesia. This allows for a strategic recalibration of Vietnam's dragon fruit growing belts and seasonal calendars,” Muoi noted.

Thailand, UAE sharply ramp up Vietnamese dragon fruit purchases

Alongside the Chinese market, Vietnamese dragon fruit has registered several positive signals across alternative destinations recently.

Over the first seven months of the year, Thailand stepped up procurement of Vietnamese dragon fruit, with export turnover hitting USD 18.7 million, up nearly 154% year-on-year.

Similarly, across the Middle East, demand for Vietnamese dragon fruit has expanded visibly, with the UAE alone posting an increase of over 57%, helping broaden export outlets.

Source: Bao dien tu Dan Tri