A durian tree has shed all its fruits. 

The durian fruits start falling when they are still small

According to Tran Xuan Hoa in Quang Phu Town, up to 30 percent of his family’s durian trees have seen the fruit fall early. The situation has continued to worsen. He has hired people to remove vulnerable fruits and erect support columns to protect the durian trees. However, he worried that productivity would sharply decline.

Nguyen Ngoc Giao, head of Cu M’gar District’s Agricultural and Rural Development Board, said the locality is home to 5,000 hectares of durian cultivation. This year, the severe drought has resulted in water scarcity for crops, including durian trees. High temperatures have caused the trees to suffer and prematurely end their growth.