Thai red-fleshed Ruby grapefruit overwhelms Vietnamese products despite being expensive

Although the price is twice as high as Vietnamese products, red-fleshed Ruby grapefruit imported from Thailand is quite popular because of its beautiful appearance and superior quality.

Often ordering imported ruby grapefruit, Ms. Hoang Anh in District 2 (HCMC) said that this Tet instead of buying Vietnamese goods, she will choose Thai grapefruit, 2 kg per fruit, priced at 1.5 million VND.

"Last year I bought Vietnamese products to support them, but when I ate them, they tasted bitter, not sweet like Thai products," Ms. Hoang Anh explained.

Similarly, Ms. Hanh in District 5 said that she was quoted a price of Vietnamese Ruby grapefruit at 60,000-70,000 VND per kilogram by sources, but the goods were "sometimes available, sometimes not" and the appearance was not as expected, so she chose Thai goods.

"I buy it for Tet offerings so it not only has to be delicious but also beautiful," said Ms. Hanh.

Thai Ruby grapefruit is imported by many establishments to sell during Tet. Photo: Kieu Chung — Thai Ruby grapefruit is imported by many establishments to sell during Tet. Photo: *Kieu Chung*

As an importer of Thai goods, Ms. Kieu Chung said that this year she imported Thai Ruby grapefruit early due to increased purchasing power. Ruby grapefruit has a beautiful and uniform appearance, so at the beginning of the season, grade 1 fruits cost up to 400,000 VND per fruit (200,000 VND per kg).

Importing thousands of Ruby grapefruit for this year's Tet season, Ms. Han said that there are many domestic establishments quoting domestic Ruby grapefruit prices. However, the quality is not as expected and it is difficult to display for Tet because the grapefruit skin is not as green and shiny as Thai products. Therefore, when many customers ordered Thai products, she decided to import in larger quantities than domestic products.

"Ruby grade 1 fruits are quite balanced, with smooth green skin and red flesh inside, so customers really like them. This type of grapefruit not only has a sweet taste, but also brings good luck when offered to customers during Tet," said Ms. Han.

According to traders, the reason why Thai Ruby grapefruit is still expensive is because of increased domestic demand. On the other hand, the design and quality of Thai products are still better than Vietnamese products, so even though the selling price is twice as high, they still attract customers. In addition, domestic grapefruit farmers do not know how to care for them, so the quality and sweetness after harvest are not consistent.

Surveys at gardens in the Central Highlands and some provinces in the Mekong Delta show that many households are cultivating this variety and some have already harvested fruit. Currently, the selling price fluctuates between 60,000 and 70,000 VND per kilogram, but traders are not interested because demand is not high. Most of the products are offered at the same price as green-skin pomelos by traders.

According to the Department of Agriculture, domestic Ruby grapefruit has only been grown on a trial basis and has not been widely grown, so it has not yet met the expected standards. To produce fruit with beautiful appearance, high uniformity and superior quality like Thai products, people need cultivation and care techniques.

Hong Chau

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