A stall selling durians in Ho Chi Minh City
Durians in the Mekong Delta region are currently being harvested, but fruit prices are on the fall sharp fall, affecting growers.
Tran Ly Ngu Binh, director of Tien Giang Province’s Cai Lay District’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that one kilo of durian is now sold at just VND25,000-26,000 (USD1.08-1.13) against VND35,000-36,000 last month.
According Binh, durian exports are facing difficulties because of Covid-19, particularly to China, so the fruit is mainly domestically consumed. Besides, saline intrusion has harmed the fruit quality.
Cai Lay District is a durian hub in Tien Giang Province with more than 9,000 hectares.
However, currently, the retail prices of durian in HCM City remains quite high at roughly VND70,000 (USD3).
Vietnam’s fruit exports to China in the first quarter of this year were estimated at just USD300.4 million, declining by 29.4% on-year as the Covid-19 pandemic halted trade activities.
Meanwhile, last year, China accounted for 27.8% Vietnam’s agriculture, forestry and seafood exports of approximately USD8.5 billion.