Durian prices reverse sharply
According to records, durian is currently purchased by traders at the garden at a price ranging from 80,000 - 150,000 VND/kg. This price has decreased by about 40,000 - 50,000 VND/kg more than half a month ago.
The sharp drop in durian prices caught Mr. Tran Van Nham (Phong Dien District, Can Tho City) off guard. This was also the first time this gardener had tried to grow fruit out of season.
"Half a month ago, the price of durian increased by nearly 200,000 VND/kg, then decreased sharply. Last week, traders paid 150,000 VND/kg for grade 1, but now it is only 120,000 VND/kg. If you cut the whole garden, it will only cost 80,000 VND/kg," said Mr. Nham.
According to this gardener, processing off-season durian requires high techniques, with a fruit set rate of 50-60% compared to the regular season. This year, the weather is unstable, so the durian flowers bloom late. Although it is off-season, many growers say, supply exceeds demand, and competition from foreign countries means people buy less, so prices have dropped sharply.
"The fruit yield is low and the price has dropped. After deducting the cost of fertilizer and pesticides, I'm worried that I won't have enough money left over for Tet," said Mr. Nham.
Meanwhile, early harvest farmers like Mr. Pham Van Trieu's family (Chau Thanh A district, Hau Giang province) are happy because they sold durian at the right time when the price was high.
"When I cut and sold it, the price was 160,000 VND/kg. This crop only yielded about 4 tons of fruit, after deducting expenses, I made a profit of about 350 million VND," said Mr. Trieu.
Concerns about oversupply
In recent years, the area of spontaneous durian cultivation has expanded. This has made many people worry about the prospect of supply exceeding demand and unstable durian prices.
Nearly five years ago, gardener Pham Van Chien (Phong Dien district, Can Tho city) decided to cut down hundreds of ten-year-old green-skinned mulberry trees to plant durian in the hope of increasing revenue. However, at the beginning of this year, this old farmer had to accept the decision because durian prices had dropped 60-70% compared to the previous year.
"Now I see that farmers grow a lot of durian, but the output is unstable, so the selling price is unstable. I invested more than 200 million VND to take care of the trees and wait for them to bear fruit. After harvesting this crop, I can get back half of the capital," said Mr. Chien.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the country's durian area has increased dramatically from 32,000 hectares in 2015 to more than 150,000 hectares in 2023. This area has doubled the durian development orientation (about 65,000 - 75,000 hectares, output 830,000 - 950,000 tons) in the Project on Developing Key Fruit Trees to 2025 and 2030.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recommends that localities need to develop plans to develop durian production in concentrated areas, not expanding the area, especially in areas with unsuitable soil, no conditions for intensive investment, areas without closed dykes, and dykes that are not guaranteed to cause flooding during the rainy season and saltwater intrusion during the dry season in the Mekong Delta region.
