Durian exports skyrocket

In the first 5 months of the year, the export value of this item reached 919 million USD, an increase of more than 74% compared to the same period last year, according to statistics from the Customs. Durian continues to lead the export turnover in the group of exported fruits and vegetables. Currently, durian turnover is 3.5 times higher than that of dragon fruit, the fruit that used to hold the leading position in the group of exported fruits and vegetables.

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that China is still steadily increasing its purchases of Vietnamese durian. It is estimated that in June, the amount of durian exported will reach 600 million USD, bringing the total turnover in the first 6 months of the year to 1.5 billion USD.

According to Mr. Nguyen, Vietnamese durian has the advantage of abundant output, harvested all year round, and at many times does not directly compete with Thai durian. The shipping time is fast and the price is reasonable, especially when frozen durian has better quality control.

However, some recent shipments have been warned to be contaminated with banned substances, which, according to Mr. Nguyen, affects the reputation of Vietnamese goods. Therefore, businesses need to increase inspections for banned substances right at the garden and packaging facility to ensure that no shipments contaminated with banned substances are exported.

The Plant Protection Department recommends that localities and businesses need to closely monitor the codes of growing areas and packaging facilities to avoid purchasing goods from unlicensed places, which affects the export activities of legitimate businesses.

In the first 5 months of the year, fruit and vegetable exports reached over 2.65 billion USD, up 30.9% over the same period in 2023. China was the main market, accounting for 64.5% of total turnover, with a value of nearly 1.71 billion USD, up 32.94%. Other markets such as South Korea, the US and Japan also recorded strong growth.

The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association forecasts that fruit and vegetable exports this year will continue to grow by 15-20%, with turnover possibly reaching 7 billion USD, an increase of 0.5-1 billion USD compared to the plan at the end of last year.