Farmers harvest durian for export in Đắk Nông Province. Durian export is forecast to reach $3.5 billion in 2024. — VNA/VNS Photo Hưng Thịnh

Statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that durian became the top export fruit of Việt Nam with a revenue of $2.2 billion, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the country’s total fruit and vegetables export and playing a key role in helping the sector set a new export revenue record at $5.5 billion in 2023.

Deputy Minister Phùng Đức Tiến said that the push came from the China’s opening for official export of fresh durian into this huge market of 1.4 billion people in July 2022.

If a protocol on exporting frozen durian is signed with China in 2024, Việt Nam’s durian export would increase more, he said.

Nguyễn Quý Dương, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Plant Protection Department, said that negotiations are underway for frozen durian export into China, which would open significant opportunities to boost durian export.

He added that there is significant room to increase durian exports to other markets, also.

Vietnamese durian is now exported to eight markets, among which China accounted for 97 per cent of the total export volume.

Durian export to Czech increased by over 28 per cent in 2023 to reach $10 million. Exports to Canada, the US and Papua New Guinea also saw three-digit growth.

Notably, Thailand, the world’s largest durian exporter, spent $96.9 million purchasing Vietnamese durian in November.

“Not only China, but other markets are also acquiring a taste for durian,” Đoàn Nguyên Đức, chairman of Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Group said, adding that this is the reason his group is expanding durian plantation area from 1,200 – 2,000ha in the next two years.

He said the Chinese market has high potential for durian because to date, only around 10 per cent of the population typically eat durian.

Vũ Kim Hạnh, Chairwoman of the Business Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Products, estimated that China’s durian market could reach $20 billion and the global durian market $28.6 billion by 2025, with an average annual growth rate of 7.2 per cent.

According to Đặng Phúc Nguyên, General Secretary of the Việt Nam Fruit and Vegetables Association, Việt Nam has an advantage in exporting durian because the country harvests durian all year round, while others only harvest seasonally.

For example, this time of year, only Việt Nam is harvesting durian so prices from the field are quite high, around VNĐ100,000 -120,000 per kg for Ri6, VNĐ135,000 – 160,000 per kg for Monthong and VNĐ160,000 – 190,000 per kg for Musang King.

Durian export might reach $3.5 billion this year as higher durian output is projected coupled with more planting area and packaging facilities being granted codes for exports to China, Nguyên predicted.

The agriculture ministry’s statistics showed that the durian plantation areas total around 112,000ha, of which more than 60,000ha are harvested with an output of around 840,000 tonnes. The remaining 51,000ha might be harvested starting from this year.

China has granted codes for 422 growing areas and 153 packaging facilities.

Việt Nam needs to focus on ensuring durian quality and investing in processing to increase added value rather than expanding rapidly in term of plantation area.

Nguyễn Đình Tùng, general director of Vina T&T Group which exported 400 containers of fresh durian to China last year, said that the demand for durian is high but it is vital to ensure compliance with quality standards of importers to export sustainably.

Prices at too high a level cannot be sustainable, he said.

Focus should be placed on building brand and increasing processing to raise added value and economic efficiency, Lê Quốc Doanh, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính at a meeting with farmers late last week urged them to keep the market in strict compliance with importer’s requirements. — VNS