This year's durian crop in Soc Trang province is almost over, only a few gardens will harvest late in the next 10 days. Mr. Huynh Thanh Le, residing in Hamlet 5A, Ba Trinh Commune (Ke Sach District), said that this year's durian crop witnessed an unprecedented "overpriced" situation.
"At the beginning of the season, I sold it for 120,000 VND/kg, sometimes up to 145,000 VND, but near Tet, I dropped 40,000 VND. After Tet, the price will increase to 105,000-120,000 VND, and by the main season, there will be 50,000 VND/kg, Mr. Le shared.
According to Mr. Le, the price of 50,000 VND/kg is much lower than last year (in 2024, he sold it for 85,000 VND/kg), a decrease of about 35,000 VND/kg. However, thanks to proactively handling the fruit early, not focusing on the main crop, he was able to take advantage of the high price at the beginning and middle of the crop. In addition, with a production cost of about VND18,000/kg, he still ensures profits.
"The actual investment cost for each kg of durian is about 18,000 VND. This figure includes post-harvest care costs, agricultural supplies, pesticides, etc. The entire production cycle must be fully calculated to get accurate data, said Mr. Le.
This year, due to the impact of weather, the fruit processing has not met expectations, but Mr. Le's total output is still about 17-18 tons, although only more than half of the fruit garden area. With fluctuating selling prices, average income this year is still over 300 million VND.
He also emphasized the role of applying advanced farming practices, limiting the use of fertilizers and pesticides to significantly reduce input costs. "Now farmers no longer do the "buffalo goes first, the plow goes behind" approach. You have to calculate the input and know the time of sale to be effective," said Mr. Le.
Currently, Trinh Loi Agricultural Cooperative, which Mr. Le participated in, is cultivating more than 60 hectares of durian, has been recognized as meeting 3-star OCOP standards and is striving to increase to 4 stars. This cooperative has also completed the dossier for 4 growing area codes.
Not far away, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh's household has just finished its durian crop with an output of 16 tons/ha, despite being affected by the unseasonal rain at the beginning of the season and the prolonged heat causing the fruit to be smaller than every year. He sells durian in bowl (not classified as size) for 50,000 VND/kg.
"The production cost is about 18,000 VND/kg, selling at 50,000 VND, but I still make a profit of 32,000 VND/kg. Total revenue this year is also over 300 million VND, said Mr. Hoang Anh.
Mr. Hoang Anh also commented that although gardeners are still making a profit, the functional sector needs to have solutions to develop the market sustainably, especially the export market - which is under a lot of pressure on standards and growing area codes.
Mr. Tran Van Toan - Head of the Ke Sach District Crop and Plant Protection Station (Soc Trang Province) informed that the whole district currently has about 2,500 hectares of durian, of which about 1,700 hectares are bearing fruit. This crop, the yield is from 18 - 20 tons/ha. The selling price ranges from 40,000 - 50,000 VND/kg for Ri 6 durian variety, and 70,000 - 80,000 VND/kg for Thai durian.
"Although the selling price is somewhat lower than previous years, with the average investment cost, people still have profits, enough to cover living expenses and reinvestment," said Mr. Toan.
Mr. Toan also added that the whole district currently has 3 growing area codes that have been granted and is completing 10 new codes. The locality regularly organizes training for farmers on farming processes according to GAP standards, guiding the control of chemical fertilizers, heavy metal residues (Cadimi) and O-older in durian. These activities aim to help farmers improve their knowledge, skills and ensure quality standards for export.
