Durian has become a hot topic at many meetings and discussions as the fruit has joined group of farm products that bring more than $1 billion in export turnover a year.

Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, deputy head of the Plant Protection Department (PPD) under teh Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said that Vietnam’s durian is not only exported to China, but is present in 24 countries. Over 300,000 tons of fresh durian were exported in the first eight months of the year. Frozen durian has 23 export markets.

Experts say there is great potential to boost exports.

“PPD is continuing negotiations to open more markets for durian, including India, with more than one billion consumers,” Huong said.

However, she said that Vietnam needs to organize production well and ensure durian quality.

China remains the largest market for Vietnam and sets strict requirements on imports: growing areas must be registered; growers must control harmful organisms; produce must be in accordance with a designed process witnessed by state management agencies; and product traceability must be ensured.

In addition, strict principles are set for packaging units, including records on pest control.

She said that her department will focus on solutions to make information and data transparent; and complete technical guidance and documents guiding standards for seedlings, production techniques, fertilizers, and farming and brand identification.

Huong stressed that enterprises’ brands are important for exports. The consignments of low-quality products will affect Vietnamese durian’s fame.

“Farmers and growers need to report immediately to local plant protection sub-departments if they discover impersonation of growing area codes. No one can protect their brands better than the growers themselves,” Huong said.

Vietnam’s durian has strong rivals, including Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines which have made heavy investment in technology to improve durian yield and quality. 

Nguyen Quoc Toan, director of the Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics, said that Vietnam’s durian has been growing strongly. However, it still goes behind regional countries, and therefore, it needs suitable moves to improve competitiveness in the world market. Besides fresh durian, Vietnam should think of developing processed products.