Temporarily surpassing Thailand, Vietnamese durian have new competitors

Surpasses Thai durian thanks to year-round harvest

According to General Administration of Customs of China, in the first two months of this year, the country imported  53,110 tons of fresh durian. What is notable about China's durian imports earlier this year is that Vietnam surpassed Thailand's number one position in durian exports to China.

Specifically, in 2 months, the amount of durian imported from Vietnam to China was 32,750 tons, worth USD 161 million, an increase of 2.4 times in both volume and value compared to the same period last year. Calculated by turnover, Vietnamese durian accounted for 57% of China's durian import turnover in the first two months of the year, a sharp increase compared to 32% in 2023.

Meanwhile, Thai durian imports to China decreased sharply, reaching only 19,016 tons, worth USD 120.3 million, down 50.3% in volume and 45.2% in value compared to the same period in 2023. The market share of Thai durian in China's durian import turnover in the first 2 months of the year is 42% (for the whole year 2023, it is 68%).

In addition to Vietnam and Thailand, earlier this year, China also imported durian from the Philippines, with a total value of USD 2.2 million, accounting for about 1% of the total value of imported durian.

Vietnam surpassed Thailand in exporting durians to China in the first months of this year primarily because durians are harvested every month in Vietnam. In contrast, durians in Thailand are still grown and harvested according to certain seasons.

The Department of Crop Production (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that durian in Vietnam is commonly grown in the southern provinces, from Da Nang upwards. In the Mekong Delta region, in addition to the main crop harvested in April and May every year, durian is still harvested all year round thanks to crop production (treatment to make the tree flower sooner or later than the regular season).

Therefore, at the beginning of this year, although it was not the main harvest in all three main growing regions: the Central Highlands, the Southeast, and the Mekong Delta, the durian source was harvested in the Mekong Delta, and some Other places still meet the needs of Chinese customers and help Vietnamese durian surpass Thailand in this market.

Good quality, the price of Vietnamese durian imported into China is more competitive than Thai durian thanks to more convenient and faster transportation. Overall, in the first 2 months of this year, the price of Vietnamese durian imported into China reached an average of USD 4,916 per ton, lower than USD 6,133 per ton in Thailand but higher than USD 3,075 per ton in the Philippines.

Thus, Vietnamese durian continues to take market share from Thai durian in the Chinese market. Before 2022, Thailand accounts for almost all of China's fresh durian market.

In 2022, when Vietnamese durian is officially exported to China, the market share of Thai durian will decrease to 95% in Chinese durian imports. The remaining 5% belongs to Vietnamese durian. By 2023, Vietnam's durian market share will increase to 32%, while Thailand's will decrease to 68%. Earlier this year, as mentioned above, Vietnamese durian's market share surpassed Thai durian's share in the world's largest durian-consuming market.

Competition is increasing

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), China accounts for 95% of the world's durian market share.

Chinese consumers consider durian a premium fruit, even considering durian the "king of fruits". Therefore, the demand for durian in China continues to increase.

Information from the General Administration of Customs of China shows that China's durian import turnover increased by an average of 46% from 2019 to 2023. In 2023, China's durian import turnover increased by 46% to USD 6.7 billion, an increase of 65.6% compared to 2022 and a rise of 318.5% compared to 2019.

As the world's largest durian-consuming market, competition in China is expected to become increasingly fierce with the participation of many other Southeast Asian countries, especially Malaysia.

For a long time, in the world durian market, Malaysian durian has always been highly appreciated for its quality. Among them, the Musang King durian variety is considered by many to be the most delicious durian in the world.

With those advantages, Malaysia has been promoting durian production and export in recent years. In 2022, Malaysian durian production was 455,000 tons and is expected to increase to 506,000 tons in 2025. In 2022, Malaysia's durian exports reached USD 260 million, an increase of 168% compared to 2019. Forecasts for Malaysia's durian industry will continue to grow rapidly, with an estimated annual growth rate of 7.2% between 2023 and 2033.

This year, Malaysia will bring fresh durian to the Chinese market, which is expected to be the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in May 2024. Recently, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Malaysia and China to establish a dedicated durian route from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Zhengzhou (China). Thus, Malaysia is preparing the necessary steps to export fresh durian to China by many transportation routes, including air.