Durian exports gross US$253 million in first quarter

With these positive results, durian continues to be the fruit recording the largest export turnover, contributing 17% to the fruit and vegetable industry's total value.

Most notably, fresh and frozen durian accounts for more than 90% and 8.5% of total export turnover, respectively, while other products such as dried durian, durian juice, and durian ice cream make up a small proportion.

During the three-month period, the average export price of durian surged by 15.2% to reach US$4,437 per tonne compared to last year’s corresponding period.

China remained the major consumer of Vietnamese durian throughout the reviewed period with 51,500 tonnes worth more than US$228 million, witnessing an increase of 57.5% in volume and 71% on-year.

Thailand ranked second in terms of importing durian from the Vietnamese market with turnover of US$18 million, nearly doubling last year’s figure and accounting for 7% of the overall market share.

Meanwhile, strong export growth was recorded in several markets, including Japan, up 83%; the Republic of Korea, up 61%; Portugal, up 71%; and the Netherlands, up 787.5%.

The sharp rise in durian exports has contributed to raising the fruit and vegetable sector’s revenue to US$1.28 billion for the first time in the first quarter, up 31.4% on-year.

To date, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) has approved 708 durian growing areas and 168 durian packaging facility codes for Vietnamese durian products.

Recently, the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requested that localities review growing areas and processing facilities in a bid to speed up the process of signing the protocol to export frozen durian to China via official channels moving forward.