On the last days of 2022, farmers in Mekong Delta were busy picking durian for sale to merchants. Durian of different varieties were collected at over VND80,000 per kilogram. Monthong durian was sold at VND95,000-100,000 per kilogram, while second- and third-class durian was VND50,000. 

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that durian exports to China grew 4,100 percent for several months. 

In mid-September 2022, 100 tons of durian from a farm in Dak Lak was exported through official channels to China for the first time since a protocol on durian export was signed between Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Chinese General Administration of Customs in July, 2022. After that, other durian shipments from Lam Dong and Mekong Delta provinces have headed for China. 

Chinese TV channel CCTV13 on September 21 quoted the director of a trading company as reporting that it takes only two hours to carry durian from Vietnam to Huu Nghi border gate, durian can be fresh, and Chinese consumers can now buy durian at competitive prices. The director said his company plans to buy 1 million durian from Vietnam.

Dung Thai Son Import-Export Company said it has  an order for 500,000 tons of durian. And Van Xuan Phat Import-Export Company said it exports 1,000 tons of durian each month to order.

Bob Wang, chair of the Nanning Business Association, said in a forum that from now to Tet holiday 1,500 containers of Vietnam’s durian would be imported.

Tra My, chair of the Vietnam provisional business association in China, said that the association has an order for 10,000 tons of durian from a large Chinese importer.

In October 2022, Vietnam’s durian export turnover to China reached $50 million while China’s durian import turnover was $90.7 million in the same month. 

Vietnam has become the largest durian supplier to China.

From January 8, 2023, China will remove all requirements on nucleic acid tests on imports (to prevent Covid-19) at all border gates, including frozen products.

Tam An