New prospects for durian: push from the billion-person market

Opportunities for professionals

After two years of stagnation as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of fresh fruits struggled with output and falling prices, putting farmers in a difficult position. Since the beginning of 2022, however, the prices of durian in several southern provinces have been high, particularly since Vietnam signed the Protocol for the official export of durian to the one billion-person Chinese market.

In the commune of Xuan Dinh, district of Xuan Loc, province of Dong Nai that specializes in durian production, the fruit provides a substantial profit. Pham Thai Hoa, a resident of the village of Nong Doanh, stated, "We are nearly finished with the durian harvest; the yield is comparable to that of the previous year, and each durian tree yields around VND 5 million."

Hoa's 2-hectare durian garden has Thai varieties. As soon as the crop is harvested, his family will invest in stabilizing the garden, caring for it in accordance with the procedure to ensure consistent quality products, in preparation for exporting official durian fruit to China.

Similarly, the family of Nguyen Thi Niem in Bao Thi village, Xuan Dinh commune, has sold the last batch of durians at a profit. "At the beginning of the harvest, I sold high-quality fruit for VND 65,000 per kilogram. We are more encouraged to invest in the growth of orchards in accordance with standard procedures since this year marks a surge in durian pricing, particularly when durian is exported to the Chinese market ", Niem remarked eagerly.

Nguyen Van Thieu, an experienced cultivator in Phu An commune, Tan Phu district, cultivates about 10 hectares of durian area.  "Due to the fact that durian is more valuable than other fruits, it has been the one to improve people's standard of living in recent years. In every meeting, we discuss how to grow durian professionally, especially when the export of the fruit to China is authorized. Farmers are excited about the new prospects ", added Thieu.

According to Thieu, trial plantings of durian trees in Phu An began in 2000 but were initially unsuccessful due to a lack of knowledge regarding the fruit's care and handling. However, in the following years, as a result of favorable soil and climate conditions and the experiences of pioneering growers, farmers progressively became more proactive in their farming practices, so contributing to an increase in yield and quality of durian. In this region, durian cultivation has increased swiftly and progressively replaced other industrial crops such as sugarcane, cashew, and coffee.

Preparing for the demands of a billion-person market

The Xuan Dinh specialized fruit-growing region (Xuan Loc district) has around 450 hectares of durian trees out of 1,100 hectares of agricultural land. Nguyen Van Quynh, a member of Xuan Dinh Durian Cooperative, stated enthusiastically, "Up to this point, 99.9% of durian trees in the commune have been planted with new varieties, and the majority of gardeners have implemented a dropping irrigation system, which reduces labor costs and minimizes water for irrigation while increasing yield and fruit uniformity."

Especially this year, the durian of the commune provides a large yield due to the locality's direction, which requires farmers to remain in a stable area for durian production of the highest quality. The cooperative also encourages linkage production so that durian output remains steady.

Hoang Minh Hai, an agricultural officer of Phu An commune (Tan Phu district), stated that the commune is working with the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop durian tree traceability, barcodes, and trademark registration. "From being one of the poorest communes in Tan Phu district, there is now a specialized durian production region, and the province of Dong Nai is becoming the "capital" of durian. In fact, there are farmers in the area who cultivate durian for extremely high revenues; the durian tree is helping farmers change their life", added Hai.

The Director of Xuan Dinh Agricultural Service Cooperative, Dang Thi Thuy Nga, concurred that durian is the most profitable crop compared to others. Consequently, many farmers in this region have begun cultivating durian. Xuan Dinh Cooperative has constructed a big field specialized in durian growing in accordance with VietGAP requirements, so contributing to the development of a safe durian fruit brand in the region.

From the development potential of this specialty fruit, particularly in the Chinese market, localities in Dong Nai are actively mobilizing durian farming households in a cooperative model and promoting the formation of new Cooperation groups and cooperatives in order to strengthen economic development from specialized durian cultivation.

Localities are coordinating with the Dong Nai Farmers' Association to provide preferential loans to farmers participating in the "Caring for Durian Trees" initiative in order to quickly capitalize on new prospects presented by the Chinese market. In addition, growing areas and packing facilities bolster monitoring under the direction of professionals to supervise the whole manufacturing and packaging procedure. Businesses, individuals, and management organizations are also recommended to comply with Chinese regulations for production logs and records and pre-harvest food safety monitoring systems.