Statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that Vietnam earned USD1.32 billion from durian exports in the first half of 2024, up 45 percent yearly and 65 percent of the local vegetables and fruits export revenues.
China continued to be the largest market for Vietnamese durian, with export revenue to the country rising to USD 1.22 billion, 92.40 percent, and up 46 percent year over year.
Thailand was the second largest importer of Vietnamese fruit, with a total revenue of USD47 million, up 95.50 percent compared to last year. Japan was followed by Thailand, which spent USD2.6 million on Vietnamese durian during the period, two times higher than the previous year's figure.
Dang Phuc Nguyen, Secretary General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said the country is expecting more revenue from durian exports as the Central Highland region has entered the primary durian harvesting season from July to October.
"More foreign markets have increased purchases of Vietnamese durian," Nguyen said. In the first half of this year, we enjoyed high prices of between USD 4.3 and USD 4.5 per kilo. Vietnam's total durian export turnover in 2024 is estimated at USD 3.5 billion."
Nguyen also shared that they have completed technical negotiations to export frozen durian to China. And once the protocol is signed, the export turnover of this fruit to China will surely rise.
The latest report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that Vietnam earned USD3.8 billion from exporting fruits and vegetables in the first seven months of this year, up 24.3 percent compared to last year.