Production costs are a "survival measure"
Faced with strong and unpredictable fluctuations in durian prices, many gardeners in Can Tho City are shifting from expecting high prices to proactively controlling costs, improving quality to reduce risks and maintain profits.
According to Mr. Huynh Thanh Le - Director of Trinh Loi Agricultural Cooperative (Dai Hai Commune, Can Tho City), durian prices have fluctuated greatly in recent times. At the beginning of the 2024 - 2025 crop, it will reach 145,000 VND/kg at times, then gradually decrease to 120,000 VND, 105,000 VND and at times only 50,000 VND/kg. At the beginning of this year's crop, Thai durian type A increased from 120,000 VND/kg to only about 85,000 VND/kg.
Mr. Le said that the market no longer maintains the same high prices as before, forcing growers to carefully calculate the cost problem. "For a durian garden about 7 years old, if we fully account for fertilizers, medicines, labor and machinery depreciation, the cost is about 18,000 - 24,000 VND/kg. At this level, even if selling for 40,000 - 50,000 VND/kg, gardeners still make a profit, even though the profit is not as high as in the previous period," he commented.
According to him, the high cost is mainly due to old farming practices, overusing input materials. On the contrary, cost-effective irrigation models, balanced fertilizers, and reduced chemicals help reduce costs without much reduction in productivity.
In the same locality, farmer Nguyen Hoang Anh said that he has proactively adjusted the production process in the past 2 years. Accordingly, he applied biosafety cultivation, using pesticides to limit pests and diseases, watering roots to stimulate the leaves to take advantage of remaining nutrients and increase soil microorganisms, thereby reducing chemical fertilizers and environmental impacts.
Mr. Hoang Anh said that switching to organic farming helps preserve soil fertility, prolong crop life; maintain stable output, reduce investment costs; improve fruit quality and reduce loss, while protecting the health of producers, consumers and the environment.
According to him, the cost of producing durian is about 24,000 VND/kg in the favorable crop and 32,000 VND/kg in the early crop, including fertilizers, medicines, labor and transportation.
The role of cooperatives and growing area codes
In the context of the market increasingly tightening standards, Trinh Loi Agricultural Cooperative is no longer completely betting on selling prices but has instead turned to building a sustainable production platform. Currently, the cooperative has been granted 2 growing area codes and is continuing to expand in the coming time to meet the requirements of official export quotas, limiting risks when the market strengthens control of output and traceability.
Regarding the production process, Mr. Huynh Thanh Le said that the cooperative only uses pesticides in the permitted list of the growing industry, absolutely do not use drugs outside the list to reduce testing risks, especially for the export market.
The cooperative is also coordinating with the agricultural sector and experts to gradually improve production standards, towards long-term sustainability in the context of importing markets increasingly tightening requirements for waste, growing area codes and traceability.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City, the whole city currently has about 13,000 hectares of durian, of which more than 500 growing area codes have been granted with an area of over 9,300 hectares. The agricultural sector is increasing support for farmers in building production processes that meet export standards, while updating and disseminating international standards to ensure food safety and plant quarantine.
