According to the Chinese customs agency, China imported 1.56 million tons of durians in 2024, worth $7 billion, an increase of 9.4 percent in quantity and 4 percent in value compared with 2023.

The average import price in 2024 was $4,957 per ton, down 4.9 percent. The noteworthy point was that while import prices from Vietnam and the Philippines decreased, import prices from Thailand increased.

Regarding supply sources, China imported 809,880 tons of durian from Thailand alone, valued at $4 billion, a decrease of 12.8 percent in quantity and 12.1 percent in value.

By contrast, China increased imports from Vietnam. The market with over 1 billion consumers spent $2.94 billion to buy 736,720 tons of durian last year, which meant a sharp 49.4 percent increase compared with 2023 in volume and 37.5 percent in import turnover.

Vietnam continues to be the second largest durian supplier for China. The market share of Vietnam’s durian in China has increased by 47.2 percent in quantity and 42 percent in value.

The General Department of Customs (GDC) said that Vietnam continued to see another year of durian export boom last year. The export of the fruit brought revenue of $3.21 billion, up 43.2 percent over 2023, or nearly $1 billion.

Durian, called Vietnam’s ‘fruit King’, makes up 45 percent of Vietnam’s total vegetable and fruit export turnover in 2024.

However, in recent months, Chinese customs said that some durian shipments did not comply with phytosanitary and food safety requirements.

In many cases, scammers fraudulently copied and forged growing area and packing facility codes to export their products. Tien warned that if the problem cannot be solved, Vietnam’s farm produce brand in the international market will be harmed, and Vietnam would likely lose the Chinese market.

Most recently, in addition to the test to find heavy metal residue in durian imports, China also tightened control to find yellow dye by examining 100 percent of durian imports to the market.

While affirming that most durian growers and exporters are strictly observing the requirements on food safety, Tien admitted that there are some irregularities.

He said all export markets set their own standards and requirements, and exporters must observe the requirements. China remains the largest durian export market for Vietnam, so Vietnamese farmers and exporters need to take action to ensure steady growth of durian exports to the market.

Tam An