Vietnamese Durian Prices in China Running High

It has now been three weeks since the first ever shipment of Vietnamese durians entered the Chinese market through normal trade channels. However, contrary to many predictions, Vietnamese durians have not driven down market prices. At present, the price of Vietnamese durians at most fruit wholesale markets exceeds 1,000 Chinese yuan ($141) per carton. At Guangzhou’s Jiangnan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market, the largest of its kind in China, Vietnamese durians even hit 1200 yuan ($169) per carton, which is almost on par with Thai durians.

Golden Pillow durians are the main variety from Vietnam currently available to Chinese consumers. According to market feedback, these durians are slightly inferior to those from Thailand during the mid-season period in terms of quality and fragrance. However, when compared with late-season Thai Golden Pillow durians, the Vietnamese ones are reportedly somewhat better. Against this backdrop, Vietnamese Kanyao durians, which will hit the market soon, have attracted considerable attention from Chinese fruit dealers owing to their distinct flavor. Hence, market prices of Vietnamese durians are not expected to fall in the short term.

Blessed by unique growing conditions, Vietnamese durians have several advantages, including a delicate and tender flesh, a high sugar level and a long harvest season. Moreover, Vietnam’s geographical proximity to China translates to low transport costs and better freshness. Industry insiders are optimistic that Vietnamese durians will have great potential to plug the supply gap typically left by Thai durians in China between September and October.

A limited supply is another reason underlying the high prices of Vietnamese durians. According to China Customs, only 51 durian orchards and 25 packing plants in Vietnam have been granted official permission to export durians to China, whereas Thailand has 55,000 orchards and 1,700 packing plants registered. Thus, restricted by the small number of registered enterprises and uncertainties associated with customs clearance, only several containers of Vietnamese durians are available daily for each major fruit wholesale market. China’s week-long National Day holiday starting on Oct. 1 also led to a peak in demand for premium durians, causing prices to run at high levels.

Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VinaFruit), thinks that market access to China is an excellent opportunity for Vietnam’s durian industry. According to his estimation, China’s annual appetite for durians may be as high as 1.3 million metric tons, while Thailand and Malaysia combined can supply only half of this volume. Thus, as long as Vietnamese durians can maintain consistent quality, they stand a good chance to continue to fetch good prices on the Chinese market.

Image: Pixabay

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