According to General Department of Customs, in July, Vietnam's durian exports of all kinds (including fresh, frozen, and dried) reached over 76,000 tonnes, worth 280.18 million USD, down 30.8% in volume and 30.7% in value compared to June, down 1.7% in volume compared to July 2023, but up 82% in value.
In the first 7 months of 2024, durian export of all kinds reached 476,130 tonnes, worth 1.6 billion USD, up 50.5% in volume and 49.4% in value over the same period last year. This figure is equivalent to 42% of Vietnam's total fruit and vegetable export turnover in the first 7 months of the year.
According to sources in the Central Highlands this year, durian prices have increased due to strong demand from Chinese market, especially for upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. This forecasts that durian export turnover will continue to increase strongly in the last months of the year.
Secretary General of Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association - Dang Phuc Nguyen commented that this is a bumper year for durian industry, when prices continuously increase, bringing great profits to farmers. Notably, on August 19, Vietnam signed a protocol on exporting frozen durian to China, opening a new turning point for the industry, promoting strong development.
Mr. Nguyen emphasized that opening market to new products such as pureed durian and durian pulp will create higher added value than fresh durian. This will not only help diversify processing, reduce seasonal harvesting pressure, but also make the most of raw materials, especially for fruits that do not meet appearance requirements. Currently, price of a container of frozen durian is about 5-6 billion VND.
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development forecasts that durian export turnover this year will reach 3-3.5 billion USD, with frozen durian at about 400-500 million USD.
Last year, Vietnam exported about 500,000 tonnes of fresh durian, worth 2.3 billion USD, of which 90% went to China. Durian growing area is 154,000 hectares, with output reaching nearly 1.2 million tonnes, with a growth rate of 15% per year.
China remains main consumer market for Vietnamese durian. According to information from Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), in the first half of this year, price of imported durian into China reached 4,760 USD/ton, down 2.3% compared to the same period last year. Of which, average import price of durian into China from Vietnam and Malaysia but from Thailand increased.
Thailand was the largest supplier of durian to China in the first half of this year, reaching 558,300 tonnes, worth 2.85 billion USD, down 7% in volume and 5% in value compared to the same period last year.
Thailand's durian market share in China's total imports was 67%, down from 76% in the first half of last year.
In contrast, in the first half of this year, China increased its durian imports from Vietnam, up 46% in volume and 33.3% in value over the same period last year, reaching nearly 273,540 tonnes, worth 1.1 billion USD.
Vietnam's durian market share in China in the first half of this year reached 32.8%, up more than 9% over the same period last year.
A representative of Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that Vietnamese fruit and vegetable industry also has high expectations for the export growth rate of durian in the remaining months of this year. Vietnam has advantage of a year-round durian supply, while durian from countries such as Thailand and Malaysia is currently at the end of its season.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn