Nguyen Duy Trung in Krong Pak District recently invested a large sum in durian trading after seeing the fruits were providing good prices and many people were earning big profits.
"It was a bit too late when I stepped in as the prices started to fall," Trung said. "I signed the purchase contracts with the farmers at high prices but now the prices have continued to fall as some countries have cut imports of the fruits from Vietnam."
According to Trung, durian fruits were priced at over VND90,000 per kilo three weeks ago, but they have now dropped to VND70,000 per kilo.
Another trader, Pham Duy Khoi said that he and some others were cheated by a store which exports the fruit to China.
"The exporter who is based in Tan An Ward, Buon Ma Thuot City collected the fruit from us but failed to pay us," Khoi said. "We gathered at the store asking for payment which amounted to over VND5 billion on September 23 and 24. We also reported the case to local police."
Director of the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Hoai Duong, said that the province had over 12,000 hectares of durian with output reaching over 200,000 tonnes this year.
"Both farmers and traders have enjoyed good profits thanks to the high prices this year," he said. "At present, some markets have temporarily halted imports, leading to falling prices. We've called for better sharing and co-operation between farmers and traders to overcome this difficult time."
