Vietnamese Mangosteens Experience Drastic Price Plunge

July marks the peak supply season for Vietnamese mangosteens. This year, however, despite a poor harvest, prices have halved compared with just three months ago.

According to local growers, the mangosteen yield in Hau Giang province and the city of Can Tho has decreased by 30–50% compared with the same period of last year. Binh Duong province, located in southeastern Vietnam, is one of the country’s main mangosteen-growing regions with a cultivation area exceeding 1,000 hectares. Data from the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Duong and Can Tho indicate that many local growers have seen yield reductions of up to 60%.

The primary factors underlying the declines in both mangosteen quality and quantity are the recent hot weather and a lack of irrigation. Owing to the reduced supply and poor fruit quality, current farm gate prices are only 25,000–40,000 Vietnamese dong ($0.98–1.57) per kilogram, 50% lower than three months ago and approximately 10% lower than the same period of last year.

The harvest season for Thai fruits typically starts one to two months earlier than in Vietnam, with mangosteens available on the market from May to September. Early this season, a large volume of Thai mangosteens entered the Vietnamese market, priced at only 45,000–60,000 dong ($1.77–2.36) per kilogram, about 30% less than last year. By contrast, Vietnamese mangosteens were at the time priced at about twice that of Thai mangosteens.

Now that Vietnamese mangosteens are in their peak season, their quality cannot compete with that of Thai mangosteens, leading to a rapid decline in prices. A mangosteen trader in Vietnam reported that unstable weather results in low fruit set rates and poor fruit quality, contributing to the price drop. Additionally, the large influx of Thai mangosteens has forced traders to further reduce their prices to remain competitive.

At the Thu Duc produce wholesale market in Ho Chi Minh City, the majority of mangosteens being sold recently were from Thailand, with wholesale prices ranging from 40,000 to 60,000 dong ($1.57–2.36) per kilogram. Vietnamese mangosteens were rare, as most local growers and traders had chosen to deliver the fruit directly to customers rather than selling through wholesale markets.

Image: Pixabay

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