CANTHO – Durian has become Vietnam’s top fruit export earner, surpassing dragon fruit in terms of export value despite the significant gap in earnings between the two fruits last year.
According to statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the first five months of this year saw fruit and vegetable export revenue exceed US$1.4 billion.
Durian played a pivotal role in this achievement, contributing an impressive US$526 million to the overall value. This marked a staggering ten-fold increase compared to the same period last year.
As a result, durian has emerged as Vietnam’s largest fruit export, with dragon fruit now in the second place. Dragon fruit recorded export earnings of over US$303.1 million from January to May, up 10.7% against the same period last year.
Banana, mango and jackfruit secured the third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively, in terms of export revenue for Vietnam.
Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, predicts that durian’s export revenue may reach nearly US$1.2 billion this year and could rise to US$2 billion within the next one or two years.
The remarkable surge in durian’s export earnings can be attributed to the growing demand from China, facilitated by an agreement inked with the neighboring country last year.
Since the first batch of durian was exported to China through official channels in September, Vietnam has expanded its export market for durian to 22 countries and territories. China remains the largest buyer, accounting for a whopping 96.25% of the total export revenue from durian.
In 2022, durian generated slightly over US$420 million in revenue for Vietnam, whereas dragon fruit recorded nearly US$633 million. However, looking at the previous year, 2021, dragon fruit surpassed the US$1 billion mark in export revenue, while durian was below US$178 million.
