Since March, gardeners in the Mekong Delta have entered the durian harvest season. This year, although durian is in season, the selling price is not as expected.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in the first months of this year, the export turnover of durian – one of the main products of the fruit and vegetable industry – only reached about 20% of the set plan. This is a “serious” decline, negatively affecting not only the overall export target but also directly causing the domestic durian price to drop sharply, only a quarter of the export price.
Good season but selling price is not as expected
Starting in March, gardeners in the Mekong Delta began harvesting durian. This year, the durian crop was bountiful, but the selling price was not as expected.
In early May, the price of Ri6 durian at gardens in Can Tho City, Hau Giang, Vinh Long or Tien Giang fluctuated around 25,000 VND/kg – 5,000 – 15,000 VND/kg lower than a month ago. Although the price has hit rock bottom, many traders are still not interested in buying, forcing farmers to sell their products on the roadside at retail prices of only 30,000 – 60,000 VND/kg depending on quality.
Prices have decreased but purchasing power is not high. The reason is that the Mekong Delta is in the durian season, the output is very large but the export situation is quite slow. Besides, the demand for durian is not as high as before, while other markets such as Thailand and Malaysia are highly competitive, which has a significant impact on exports.
Durian gardeners adjust cultivation process
According to the project to develop key fruit trees, by 2030, the whole country will have 65,000 – 75,000 hectares of durian growing area. However, by last year, our country had 160,000 hectares, which is double the increase and the process of increasing the area shows no sign of stopping.
In fact, it is very difficult to advise gardeners when there is a time when the “king of fruits” exceeds the threshold of 200,000 VND/kg. And the recent price and market developments are an opportunity for farmers to review their cultivation, and not to develop massively in the direction of planting just because the price is good.
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Having grown durian for many years, Mr. Nhuong has never seen prices drop as continuously as this year. At one point, it was only 35,000 VND/kg, making him and many other gardeners “unable to react”. For him, this is also the time to adjust production right in his own garden.
Since the end of last year, China has tightened its control over the quality of durian from Vietnam, making exports to this market continuously difficult. Faced with this reality, many gardeners in the Mekong Delta are increasingly focusing on quality.
In the first quarter of 2025, China spent only over half a billion USD on Vietnamese agricultural products, down more than 31% compared to the same period last year, and durian was the main reason when the export value was only over 98 million USD, down 61%. These figures make many gardeners worried. While waiting for positive signals from the market, in addition to reducing production costs, ensuring safety and quality, farmers also pay more attention to product designs to meet increasingly strict standards.
To prevent durian from becoming “common durian”
Last year, durian exports hit a record $3.3 billion. The main consumer market, China, has not only maintained demand for fresh durian but also opened up to frozen products, opening up strong growth prospects. However, expectations may not come true if quality and traceability issues are not ensured.
Mr. Tuan is one of the first durian growers in the area. Before starting this high-value crop, he studied the cultivation process in many places and chose organic solutions for production. Registering a growing area code and linking with neighboring gardeners are also solutions that this gardener considers.
It is a fact that durian prices do not decrease uniformly in all localities. For example, in the Eastern provinces, this fruit is consumed at a higher price than in the West by 3,000 – 4,000 VND/kg. The reason is to meet the strict inspection requirements from customers. In other words, the selling price and consumption depend on the synchronization of the production process and quality inspection.
The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association proposed to open more inspection rooms in durian growing areas so that farmers can proactively check and adjust production. In addition, it is necessary to diversify markets such as Korea, Japan, the EU and the US, especially countries with a large Asian population who love durian. Along with that, it is necessary to pay more attention to the domestic market. In fact, domestic consumer demand is also very high, with prices ranging from 60,000 – 120,000 VND/kg.