According to statistics from the General Department of Customs, the export value of jackfruit from Vietnam in December 2023 reached $36.3 million, a remarkable increase of 101.5% compared to December 2022. This is the highest increase among all fruit items, surpassing even durian.
In the 12 months of 2023, the export value of jackfruit reached $236.8 million, a 44.6% increase compared to the same period in 2022, accounting for 5.9% of the total. This is the 4th largest export item in December 2023, after durian, longan, and banana.
Among the markets, China is the top customer for Vietnamese jackfruit. The populous country mainly imports jackfruit from Thailand and Vietnam, although the quality of jackfruit from Malaysia is higher, its import turnover still lags behind Vietnam and Thailand.
5 years ago, Chinese consumers knew very little about jackfruit. But now, the demand for jackfruit in the market is increasing rapidly and Gia Hung Fruit Market (Zhejiang) plays an important role in distributing jackfruit from Southeast Asia. The jackfruit stalls have an area of ​​4,000-5,000 square meters. Although the consumption volume is very large, most consumers buy jackfruit pulp at offline stores, and buying the whole fruit only accounts for 3% -5% of the current total consumption volume.
According to statistics from Gia Hung Fruit Wholesale Market, the amount of jackfruit sold in 2016 only reached 2,349 tons. This figure has increased more than 10 times to nearly 30,000 tons in 2017 and reached nearly 40,000 tons in 2018. From September 2018 to September 2019, this fruit market has sold 55,000 tons of jackfruit.
In this market, domestic jackfruit accounts for a small part, while most are imported jackfruit from Vietnam and are considered to have higher quality than jackfruit grown in China.
Imported jackfruit from Vietnam to China is mainly Thai jackfruit (Chanrai jackfruit) with yellow flesh and some red-flesh jackfruit. In addition, China also imports a large amount of jackfruit for pre-processing into dried products or processed into jackfruit powder.
Especially, after the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China in early November 2022, a series of export letters of intent for fruits and vegetables were signed to benefit Vietnam. This helps Vietnamese jackfruit increasingly penetrate into the fruit consumption chain in China.
In the country, in the southern provinces, jackfruit has been grown for a long time and is grown in various forms such as mixed planting in fruit orchards or specialized cultivation. Currently, fruit growers in the Mekong Delta provinces have developed about 10,105 hectares, of which the harvested area is 6,396 hectares, with a yield of 17.9 tons per hectare.
Hau Giang province currently has a total jackfruit area of more than 3,000 hectares, the harvested area is 1,432 hectares, with a yield of 23.1 tons per hectare, and a total output of 33,065 tons, mainly concentrated in Chau Thanh district, accounting for 79% of the province’s jackfruit area. In Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Soc Trang, Long An provinces, the area of ​​jackfruit cultivation is not large, with a total area of ​​2,625 hectares. The jackfruit area is mainly intercropped in fruit orchards, and some are converted from rice fields.
Tien Giang is the locality with the largest jackfruit area in the Mekong Delta region, with a total area of ​​6,031 hectares, of which the newly planted area is over 2,200 hectares, the harvested area is 3,797 hectares, with a yield of 20.5 tons per hectare, and an output of 77,675 tons.
When the trees are stable in fruiting, well cared for, and with an average yield during the business period from 20 to 25 tons per hectare per year, if compared with rice, the efficiency from jackfruit is multiple times higher.
Jackfruit is considered the “savior of the world” because it can easily survive in many different environments, has the ability to resist pests and diseases, and high temperatures, and is drought-resistant. When the trees mature, they do not require much care. Even in changing climatic conditions, jackfruit will be one of the plants that can survive and grow. The United States has also successfully propagated some jackfruit varieties in Florida.
