After the Protocol on exporting frozen durian to China was signed, businesses, cooperatives, and gardeners are actively implementing the final steps to boost the export of this product to the billion-people market.
Ready to export durian
Dak Lak is currently the country's main coffee growing region and a strong exporter of this product. durian, this locality is striving to have the first batch of frozen durian exported to China right after the Protocol on exporting this item is signed between the two countries. Mr. Nguyen Van Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dak Lak, said that the locality is waiting for instructions from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
According to experts, exporting frozen durian is more advantageous because each durian can only be eaten about 30% of the flesh inside. If exporting fresh fruit, the same weight would take up to 3 containers, but if exporting frozen fruit, only 1 container would be needed because the shell is removed. In addition, exporting frozen durian is not subject to time pressure, reduces costs, ensures quality and can be sold all year round.
According to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, previously, frozen durian was mainly exported to Thailand, the US and Europe with a turnover of several hundred million USD per year. Now, with the door wide open to China, durian export turnover is expected to increase dramatically. If the Chinese market switches to frozen durian consumption, Vietnam will have a great competitive advantage.
The opening of the Chinese market is expected to help frozen durian exports reach 400-500 million USD this year. This will not only bring economic benefits but also promote sustainable development and improve the quality of Vietnam's agricultural products.
According to experts, the durian harvest in the Central Highlands provinces peaks in September and October. In 2023, these are also the two months with the highest durian export turnover, with a total value of about 800 million USD.
In the first 6 months of 2024, China increased its durian imports from Vietnam, up 46.3% in volume and 33.3% in value over the same period last year, reaching nearly 273,540 tons, worth 1.11 billion USD. Vietnam's durian market share in China's total imports increased from 23.73% in the first 6 months of 2023 to 32.81% in the first 6 months of 2024. With the current favorable market and price conditions, durian exports could bring in an additional 1 billion USD in the last months of 2024. This is also the period when the supply of fresh durian from Thailand gradually decreases and Vietnamese products are in a "one-size-fits-all" position.
To not miss the opportunity
Opening the door for frozen durian to the Chinese market will help increase the export turnover of fruit and vegetables. However, to export this product smoothly, businesses need to master the criteria set for the product.
Specifically, frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China must be hand-selected to remove rotten and damaged fruits and ensure that they do not contain foreign metal impurities. In addition, the raw materials of frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China must originate from durian gardens registered with Vietnam.
The Vietnamese side will inspect the facilities producing, processing, and preserving frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China and introduce qualified enterprises to the Chinese side. Qualified enterprises must be registered with the Chinese side. Only after registration can enterprises export products to China.
Packaging materials for frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China must be clean, hygienic, unused, and comply with food safety and phytosanitary requirements. During the storage and transportation of frozen durian, the requirements of the International Food Standard - "Code of Practice for the Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods" (CAC/RCP 8-1976) must be met.
Thus, frozen durian packaging facilities must meet requirements on food hygiene and safety, packaging processes, traceability and food safety control processes (HACCP). Along with that, there are some requirements on freezing capacity and cold storage.
However, the current obstacle is that the technique of freezing durian is still difficult and costly, requiring businesses to invest large amounts of capital. Fortunately, the Chinese market is close to Vietnam, so transportation costs will be lower than other competitors.
When there was information that Vietnam and China were negotiating to sign a protocol on exporting frozen durian, localities and businesses started building warehouses and preparing documents for code issuance. Mr. Nguyen Van Ha shared that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dak Lak has approached businesses and is ready to invest in frozen warehouses, according to the standards and requirements of partners to export frozen durian in 2025.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, Director of G1 Import-Export Cooperative, to prepare for exporting frozen durian, the unit has invested in 4 cold storages with an area of 5,000m2, with a daily storage capacity of 18 tons.
The demand for durian in the Chinese market is expected to continue to increase in the future, thanks to the growing popularity among consumers. Although there are no specific figures on the annual durian consumption of the Chinese people, it can be seen that durian is very popular, especially in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
In the coming time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to work closely with Chinese authorities to ensure the smooth implementation of the Protocol, while supporting Vietnamese businesses and farmers to make the most of the opportunities from these Protocols.
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