Limited supply
Mr. Nguyen Van Ngo in Binh Phu commune (Dong Thap province) said that Monthong durian variety is currently purchased by traders at the garden at a price of about 150,000 VND/kg, a significant increase compared to the beginning of the season. Meanwhile, Ri6 variety is also traded at a price of about 80,000 VND/kg.
According to Mr. Ngo, producing off-season durian requires high technology and higher investment costs than the main season. Growers must proactively regulate water, fertilizers and apply technical measures to make the plants bloom at the right time. However, in return, selling prices are often higher because the supply in the market is not large.
Doing off-season work is hard, but if successful, the profit is much higher than the main season," Mr. Ngo said.
Mr. Huynh Thanh Le - Director of Trinh Loi Agricultural Cooperative, Dai Hai commune (Can Tho City) - said that early harvesting of his garden sold about 4.6 tons of Monthong durian at a price of about 9,000 VND/kg. This price is lower than the beginning of the 2025 crop, but still significantly higher than the beginning of the 2026 crop, when the price only fluctuated around 60,000 - 70,000 VND/kg.
Mr. Le said that durian prices increased sharply due to reduced supply when many off-season gardens had finished harvesting before Tet, currently mainly with small fruits of the main crop. Heavy rain at the time of flowering treatment (late July - early August of the 2025 lunar calendar) also made the fruit setting rate low, output decreased. Processing early flowering from July-July of the lunar calendar gives a high fruit setting rate, while from August-September there is a high risk, in October the tree usually bears natural fruit, difficult to control.
Currently, some gardens still have fruit ready for harvest and are negotiating prices with traders; late-processing gardens can be harvested around February of the lunar calendar, while the main crop usually falls around May-June of the solar calendar.
Mr. Le said that currently, in the old Ke Sach area, the purchase price of durian at the garden ranges from about 135,000 - 140,000 VND/kg depending on the quality and proportion of fruit meeting export standards. At purchasing and packaging facilities, Monthong variety type A is priced at about 170,000 VND/kg, type B is about 150,000 - 151,000 VND/kg. For Ri6 variety, the price at the packaging facility is currently about 110,000 VND/kg.
According to him, this high price level can be maintained until around the end of March of the lunar calendar. When entering the main harvest season, prices will depend heavily on the actual output in the market.
Strict requirements
According to Mr. Le, Trinh Loi Agricultural Cooperative currently has about 41 hectares of durian and has 2 growing area codes for export. With a yield of about 25 tons/ha/year. The cooperative is also working with specialized agencies to expand the growing area code for neighboring farmers to increase output for export.
To adapt to market fluctuations, Mr. Le said that the Cooperative is focusing on building a sustainable production platform to meet official export requirements.
We plan to invite experts from Can Tho University to support and guide Cadmium prevention measures. Durian is considered a "billion-dollar tree", if not controlled well, the risk of losing the export market is very high," Mr. Le worried.
Mr. Le Van Phuoc Lac - Director of Phu An Agricultural Service Cooperative (Dong Thap province) - said that currently the cooperative has about 410 hectares of durian and 70 hectares of jackfruit that have been granted planting area codes for export.
According to him, traceability is currently a mandatory requirement for durian, especially when exported to China. Import markets require clear planting area codes, packaging facility codes, farming processes, fertilizer and pesticide usage logs, and quality control capabilities from production to harvest.
Mr. Lac said that the Cooperative has guided farmers to produce according to safe procedures, record farming diaries and comply with regulations on the use of agricultural materials.
Strict management from production to harvesting not only helps meet the requirements of the export market but also contributes to improving the reputation and quality of durian fruit," Mr. Lac said.
