Countries boost imports of Vietnamese durian

Durians in an orchard in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. Photo by VnExpress/ Manh Khuong

Vietnam exported $2.2 billion worth of durian in the first 11 months, up five times year-on-year, according to Vietnam Customs.

China led with a $1.97 billion purchase, up 15 times, followed by Czech at $9.7 million, up 28 times, the biggest jump among all markets.

France, Canada, the U.S. and Papua New Guinea also increased shipment from 32% to 800%.

Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruits & Vegetables Association, said that Vietnamese durian had consistent quality and could compete with durian from Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Vietnam has durian available all year round while Thailand only has seasonal fruit. Cheaper logistics, however, also play a role in competition with Thailand, the biggest exporter of durians to China.

China is a big market that has approved the shipment of fresh durian from Vietnam and will likely greenlight frozen durian the future, he said.

If Vietnam can maintain high quality, it will not need to worry about losing market share in China.

The amount of durian farmland has surged from 92,000 hectares in 2010 to 131,000 now. Production is forecast to reach one million tons this year, up 15.9% year-on-year.