China Market Access Within Reach for Frozen Vietnamese Durians

Durian prices in Vietnam have remained low recently, with the lowest prices in the Central Highlands region and prices slightly higher in the southwest and southeast regions. On June 2, farm gate prices for high- and medium-quality Ri6 durians were in the range of 48,000–65,000 Vietnamese dong ($1.89–2.56) per kilogram, while those for premium and standard Monthong (“golden pillow”) durians stood at 90,000–95,000 dong ($3.54–3.74) and 71,000–77,000 dong ($2.79–3.03) per kilogram, respectively.

According to data from Vietnam Customs, the Southeast Asian country exported $432 million worth of durians to China in the first four months of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 168%. During the same period, Thailand imported $22.5 million worth of Vietnamese durians, an 82% increase compared with the same period of last year. Regarding this development, Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, explained that although Thailand is the world’s largest durian exporter, severe drought has drastically reduced its durian production. This has forced the country to import Vietnamese durians to meet domestic demand.

China is by far the largest importer of Vietnamese durians, receiving 92% of Vietnam’s total durian exports in the first four months of this year. Meanwhile, Thailand is the largest importer of frozen Vietnamese durians, which are highly competitive in terms of price. After being imported into Thailand, a large portion of the frozen durians are re-exported, primarily to China.

The Vietnamese durian sector hopes to soon sign an agreement with China to allow frozen Vietnamese durians to be exported directly to the Chinese market. At a recent sustainable development seminar held for the Vietnamese durian industry, an official from the Plant Protection Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stated that all technical preparations required to reach an agreement for frozen durians had now been completed and they are awaiting the formal signing.

Image: iStock

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.