Rainfall decreases, durian quality and price expected to increase

This year's durian export value may not reach expectations - Photo: N.TRI

The durian area in the Central Highlands accounts for half of the country, of which Dak Lak (considered the durian capital of the Central Highlands) is currently only harvesting about 30% of the output.

Less rain, durian will be less hard

With more than 3 hectares of Thai durian, Mr. Nguyen Anh Son (Krong Pac district, Dak Lak) said that thanks to good processing, the fruit is less hard, so the selling price in bulk at the garden is reaching 70,000-75,000 VND/kg. This year, he expects to harvest about 80-90 tons.

However, many gardeners said that like the past few weeks, the amount of Thai durian being bought by traders at only 20,000-40,000 VND/kg is still common, a sharp decrease compared to the common price of 87,000-97,000 VND/kg last year. The low price of durian is said to be due to the fruit being dry due to heavy rain, so it has to be sold as ice cream, market goods, difficult to export.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online on August 16, Mr. Ngo Van Duc, a representative of an export enterprise in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Lam Dong and Gia Lai provinces have currently harvested about 70-80% of durian output; while the most important growing areas are currently Dak Lak province, and part of Dak Nong province has only harvested about 30%, the remaining 70% will be harvested in about 1-1.5 months.

“If the weather is stable and there is little rain, the next harvesters can promptly handle the fruit so that it is not hard and has good flesh. If the fruit quality is improved, the selling price can increase to 70,000-80,000 VND/kg, or even more thanks to being exported to China,” said Mr. Duc.

Export value may not be as expected

Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online recently, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that the biggest competitor, Thailand, has finished its crop since mid-July (similar to the main crop season in the West and Southeast regions of Vietnam), so from mid-July to mid-October, durian from the Central Highlands will have a big advantage when entering the main crop season, almost "alone in the market".

However, the fact that the rice is hard and has to be sold in ice cream and market stalls means that the amount of durian exported to China may not increase as much as expected.

“With an area of ​​about 75,000 hectares, half of the country’s total, the durian output of the Central Highlands region accounts for about 40-50% of the country’s total. Therefore, with a large amount of goods in this region having to be sold at low prices in recent times, and facing difficulties when exporting to China, this year’s durian export value may not be as expected,” Mr. Nguyen commented.

According to many experts, this year's durian export target is expected to reach 3.5 billion USD (2.2 billion USD in 2023), but if the low price situation continues, even if more frozen goods are officially exported to China, the export value of this item will likely be difficult to achieve, expected to only exceed the 3 billion USD mark.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first 7 months of 2024, fruit and vegetable exports reached over 3.8 billion USD, an increase of 23.4% over the same period last year, of which durian reached about 1.7 billion USD. On the contrary, in the first 7 months, fruit and vegetable imports are estimated at 1.2 billion USD, an increase of nearly 13% over the same period in 2023.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mua-giam-chat-luong-va-gia-ban-sau-rieng-duoc-ky-vong-se-tang-20240816171729778.htm