According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, in the first 6 months of 2024, dragon fruit exports ranked second with 292 million USD, just behind the king of fruits - durian.

Vietnam's dragon fruit exports have regained their ranking, second only to durian - Photo: THAO THUONG

On July 29, speaking with Tuoi Tre Online, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen - General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association - said that in previous years, dragon fruit was the fruit that brought in the largest export value of the fruit and vegetable industry.

"In 2018, the highest record that dragon fruit brought to Vietnam was nearly 1.3 billion USD, but then gradually decreased and lost the 1 billion USD export mark in 2022. At the time when Japan had a protocol for official import of Vietnamese dragon fruit, this fruit recovered. However, when durian exports broke out, dragon fruit was behind the king fruit ranking", Mr. Nguyen informed.

Mr. Nguyen said that in the world, dragon fruit is known as a "super fruit" because of the benefits it brings to human health. Dragon fruit is loved in the billion-people Chinese market, 90% of China's imported dragon fruit is Vietnamese dragon fruit.

In the first 6 months of 2024, Mr. Nguyen informed that in the context of general difficulties, the Chinese market reduced its import value by 26% but was still the largest dragon fruit import market with a value of 203 million USD, accounting for 68% of the market share.

"Vietnamese dragon fruit is grown in tropical regions with lots of sunshine and suitable soil, so it is very sweet and cool. Dragon fruit from other countries is not as good; especially red-fleshed dragon fruit. Therefore, the position of Vietnamese dragon fruit for export has many advantages in maintaining the second rank, just after durian," Mr. Nguyen further explained.

When dragon fruit lost its "throne", exporting enterprises shifted their markets to maintain market share and affirm the quality and value of Vietnamese dragon fruit exports.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (a business in Binh Thuan province) recalled the time when dragon fruit officially lost its "throne" of billion-dollar fruit in mid-July 2022, the time when durian was officially signed a protocol:

"I remember that in 2018, exports reached a billion dollars, but in the first half of 2023, it only reached nearly 350 million USD. We have shifted from focusing on the Chinese market to the Southeast Asian market and made Halah certifications (food standards for Muslims - PV) to enter supermarkets in Malaysia".

In addition, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, most dragon fruit import markets outside of China currently have increased value, such as: India 21 million USD, up 35%; the US 18 million USD, up 90%; South Korea 10 million USD, up 36%; UAE 7.8 million USD, up 60%…

Durian continues to be the "champion", with export value reaching over 1.3 billion USDAccording to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, in the first 6 months of the year, durian continued to maintain its No. 1 position in terms of export value with 1.323 billion USD, up 44.4% over the same period last year.Dragon fruit ranked second with 292 million USD, down 14.3% over the same period last year.

Source: Tuoi Tre Newspaper