Durian is in season, farmers profit billions

These days, farmers in Can Tho City are busy with the durian harvest. Along the roads leading to the center of Tan Thoi commune, Phong Dien district, trucks of traders from all over the world flock here to buy and transport durians for consumption.

A trader in Tien Giang province said that from the beginning of the 2023 durian crop until now, he had purchased about 5 durian shipments from Phong Dien, with an average of over 10 tons per truck.

This trader assessed that, at present, the demand to buy durian for export has increased. Moreover, this year's durian gardens in Phong Dien are evaluated for beautiful, round fruits, more yellow rice, and fewer pests, which are very attractive.

Mr. Truong Van Hoa, a farmer with more than 20 years of experience in durian farming in Tan Thoi commune (Phong Dien district), excitedly said that the 2023 durian crop, thanks to favorable weather, farmers will focus on investing. Especially the market's purchasing power is good, so durian grows well. The price is stable and tends to increase compared to the previous year. The durian price is about VND 10,000/kg higher than in the same period last year, ranging from VND 55,000 - 60,000/kg, depending on the quality of the fruit.

After four seasons of fruit harvest, Mr. Hoa assessed that the 2023 durian crop is considered a good season, selling at a good price. Durian gives large and beautiful fruits.

Mr. Hoa invested in planting 100 durian roots on a scale of 5 public lands (1,000m2), estimated to harvest about 8-10 tons, a high increase compared to every year.

Mr. Huynh Nhat Khanh in Tan Thoi commune is very excited when 50% of his durian garden has been harvested and has a high yield. Mr. Khanh said that at the beginning of the season, the price of durian was sometimes very high, up to nearly VND 100,000/kg. Calculating the 2023 durian crop on a scale of about 2 hectares, Mr. Khanh planted about 480 durian trees. He earned an average profit of about VND 4 million for each tree. The total profit of the family was over VND 1.9 billion."This year's durian crop was a good season, sold at a good price, and traders in Tien Giang province came to buy a lot. Moreover, the yield doubled last year. The farmers here are too excited", Mr. Khanh happily shared.

A good durian crop has opened up many prospects for durian-growing farmers in Can Tho City and the Mekong Delta. However, according to farmer Huynh Nhat Khanh, the implementation of linkages between gardeners, cooperatives, and businesses still faces many difficulties.

Due to the fear of difficulties in price negotiation, people still want to keep the traditional way of buying and selling through traders in need. Some of the farmers in the region have not yet understood how to join the association and other development orientations for durian products.

"In the coming time, I hope that the linkage between farmers, cooperatives, and businesses in developing the planting area code to export durian to the Chinese market will become more favorable, ensuring that durian trees can be grown more easily for sustainable development and long-term attachment to relatives," said farmer Truong Van Hoa, who has over 20 years of experience in durian farming in Tan Thoi commune (Phong Dien district).

In the first 4 months of 2023, Vietnam's durian export increased sharply, well received by many markets, the most prominent of which is the official export to the Chinese market. Durian is expected to be a US$ billion export item this year.

According to data from China Customs, in the first quarter of 2023, China imported durian from the Vietnam market with a volume of 27,374 tons and a turnover of US$ 133.4 million, accounting for 30% in volume and 26.3 % of the total durian imports. Vietnam's durian export price to China had increased by about 10% compared to when it was licensed to enter this market. However, the price of Vietnamese durian exported to China is still quite competitive, with an average of US$ 4,849/ton in the first quarter of 2023 compared to US$ 5,555/ton in Thailand.

Thailand is the largest source of durian for the Chinese market. In addition to Thailand, some other durian capitals, such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Cambodia... are promoting exports to China.

However, Vietnamese durian has many competitive advantages when entering the Chinese market. That is, the transportation distance is close. In Vietnam, durians are transported to the northern border gate and out to the Chinese market in just one and a half days after harvesting. Meanwhile, durian from Thailand takes at least 7-10 days.