Each kilogram of Grade A durian at the warehouse is being purchased by traders for 95,000-115,000 VND, down half compared to last month.
On April 11, records in Cai Lay district (Tien Giang province) – one of the largest durian growing areas in the country, showed that durian prices dropped sharply compared to a month ago.
The price of Grade A Monthong durian (2.7 boxes; 1.9-5.2 kg) at warehouses is 113,000-115,000 VND per kg; Type B (2.5 drawers; 1.7 – 5.7 kg) is 93,000-95,000 VND.
Similarly, Ri 6 durian also plummeted to 81,000-86,000 VND for grade A products; type B 66,000 – 68,000 VND per kg. These levels decreased by more than 50% compared to the previous month.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung in Cai Lay has 0.5 hectares of Ri 6 durian. Due to the influence of the weather, this season his garden only harvested about 6 tons, equal to 60% of last year’s output.
“In March, I harvested the first batch of 2 tons, priced at 110,000 VND/kg. The remaining four tons will be cut this month, but currently there is only 80,000 VND left, which traders are forcing to reduce further,” Mr. Hung said.
A few kilometers away, Ms. Lan Anh, who owns a garden growing 1 hectare of durian, is also “trying to call traders to cut old fruits to avoid a deeper price drop.”
The reason durian prices have dropped by half in a short period of time, according to a representative of Van Hoa Durian Company, is that the off-season supply is abundant. Thai and Indonesian goods are harvested earlier this year than usual, so Vietnamese goods are competitive.
At the same time, new orders from China slowed down and demand decreased, pushing durian prices down. Therefore, traders buying durian in the Western provinces like Mr. Tran Tuan (Cai Lay district) also temporarily stopped purchasing, while the barn owner tried to “push” the goods to avoid losses.
In addition, durian quality in the West is suffering due to hot weather. Recently, information that 30 batches of durian exported in 2023 were contaminated with heavy metals also made purchasing units more cautious and strict in purchasing.
It is forecasted that domestic durian prices will still decrease when goods enter the main season. But according to traders, it is difficult for this item to go down to 30,000 VND per kg because of heat and drought, so the harvest is lower than usual.
According to the leader of the People’s Committee of Cai Lay district (Tien Giang), the price of this fruit has dropped sharply from its peak, but is still high, farmers are more profitable than other agricultural products. If durian season is in full swing, the price can drop to 60,000 VND per kilogram, but this level is higher than the average for many previous years.
Cai Lay District People’s Committee recommends that people take care of and cut fruit properly so that the goods are of good quality when exported and sold domestically. Growers should use fertilizers and drugs at the correct dosage and allowed standards because China currently strictly controls this issue.
In 2023, Vietnam will export 2.3 billion USD of durian to markets, of which China accounts for 87%. This year, exports of this agricultural product could reach 3.5 billion USD if China soon approves frozen durian for official export.
Source VnExpress.net (link to original article)
