The King of Fruits: Three Durian Fruits Worth Over $100,000

Krong Pak Durian Festival Sells Three ‘Queen’ Durian Fruits for Charity

During the 2nd Krong Pak Durian Festival, held from September 1st to 9th, the organizers auctioned three durian fruits crowned as the “Queen” of the festival.

The first durian up for auction came from a century-old tree in the CADA plantation, with a starting bid of VND 60 million. Ultimately, a business successfully bid VND 350 million for this durian.

The second durian, a Dona variety, had a starting bid of VND 70 million. It was carefully selected from numerous households and underwent a rigorous selection process. A female entrepreneur won the auction with a bid of VND 800 million.

The third auction featured a Ri6 durian, with an initial bid of VND 60 million, attracting interest from many enterprises. The highest bidder for this durian was a female entrepreneur from Dak Lak, who offered VND 500 million. During the auction, she encouraged others to join her in contributing to the local community’s welfare efforts. The final bid for the Ri6 durian exceeded VND 1.4 billion.

In total, the auction of these three durians raised VND 2.55 billion. All proceeds will be donated to the Krong Pak People’s Committee for local welfare programs. The winners also received a gold-plated durian worth nearly VND 200 million in total.

On the same day, a seminar on building and developing a sustainable durian ecosystem took place in Dak Lak, attended by nearly 600 delegates from central ministries and localities, foreign consulates, businesses, cooperatives, and durian farmers.

Dak Lak Leads the Country in Durian Cultivation

Ms. Ngo Thi Minh Trinh, Vice Chairman of Krong Pak People’s Committee, shared that the district has nearly 7,200 hectares of durian trees, with an estimated yield of over 90,000 tons in 2024. The district has issued 37 region codes for over 2,000 hectares of durian plantations belonging to nearly 3,800 households. Additionally, 18 facilities have been granted packaging codes. This puts the district in a favorable position for exporting durians to the Chinese market.

However, Ms. Trinh also acknowledged several challenges facing the local durian industry, including uneven development compared to its potential, small-scale cultivation, low adoption of technology, inconsistent quality, inadequate infrastructure, and a loose value chain.

At the seminar, delegates shared insights on key aspects of durian development, including sustainable durian cultivation in Dak Lak, quality management during production and harvesting, export opportunities in India for Vietnamese businesses, and food safety and phytosanitary regulations in key markets.