Ms. Huynh Thi Thanh Ngan - a durian farmer in Phong Dien district, Can Tho city - shared that durian is currently purchased by traders in the garden at a lower price than the same period.
"At first, it was not as favorable as last year, but in general, traders still buy when the fruit is ripe. Durian prices have decreased by 10,000 - 20,000 VND/kg compared to the same period. Due to the influence of the weather, this year's durian has been divided into many harvests. Currently, my garden still has 1-2 separate batches of durian waiting to be harvested," said Ms. Ngan.
Linking with the company for export consumption, Mr. Nguyen Dac Hung - Director of the Fruit Tree Production Cooperative of Nhon Tho 1A Hamlet (Phong Dien District, Can Tho City) - said that due to the impact of the general situation, durian prices at the cooperative have also decreased sharply compared to last year.
According to Mr. Hung, from mid-February to March, the price of Ri6 durian type A was purchased at 65,000 VND/kg, and type B was 45,000 VND/kg. Currently, the market supply is high due to the heavy harvest, leading to the price of Ri6 durian type A being only from 50,000 - 51,000 VND/kg, type B at 30,000 - 31,000 VND/kg.
"If the goods are good, the company will buy them all, but if they do not sell them, we have to sell them to traders. The price of durian sold to traders currently ranges from 30,000 - 43,000 VND/kg, depending on the quality and shape. Durian prices have decreased, but if they are sold at 40,000 - 50,000 VND/kg, the cooperative's gardeners still make a small profit," Mr. Hung shared.
Talking with Lao Dong, Mr. Tran Thai Nghiem - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City - informed that in the past 3 years, the area of durian cultivation has increased nearly 3 times, from about 2,500 hectares (in 2022) to present about 7,000 hectares. Durian areas are developed in key fruit growing areas of the city such as Phong Dien district, Thoi Lai, part of Co Do district and O Mon district.
According to records of growing areas in the area, the price of Ri6 durian currently fluctuates at 32,000 - 38,000 VND/kg for standard types. The type that cannot be reached is from 26,000 to under 30,000 VND/kg.
"The expansion of the area and increased output while market demand remained unchanged have affected durian prices. Since the end of 2024, durian prices have tended to decrease, but in general, finding outlets for durian is not too harsh, durian in the area is still consumed when the harvest period comes," said Mr. Nghiem.
Regarding the Chinese market's increased control of technical barriers to durian imports, Mr. Nghiem said that this has an impact and will contribute to raising awareness of the community of producers, processors, and preservers about the use of pesticides and preservatives.
Currently, in Can Tho City, there are also many production areas, gardeners apply good technical processes, the cost of producing durian is only about 12,000 - 15,000 VND/kg. This is a relatively reasonable price for the durian industry. Accordingly, the city's agricultural sector will continue to advise and guide with the expectation that farmers will apply reasonable farming processes to both increase quality and maintain stable productivity. At the same time, implementing processes to ensure costs at reasonable prices, reduce risks and increase competitiveness.
