In October, durian exports to China broke the 2023 record, bringing in over $3 billion to Vietnam.
According to the Vietnam Vegetables and Fruits Association, in addition to the diversity of varieties and delicious taste, one of the reasons for the large export turnover of durian is that Vietnam’s durian output is abundant, up to 1.5 million tons per year.
The durian harvest season is scattered throughout the year, and the transportation time to the Chinese market is quite fast and reasonably priced, according to VTV.
For many years, China has been the world’s largest durian consumer market. In 2023, the country spent nearly $7 billion to buy large quantities of durian from Southeast Asian countries, mainly from Thailand and Vietnam. In China, people are so fond of durian that they eat everything from the flesh to the skin.
The sweet and creamy durian flesh is enjoyed fresh, used as an ingredient in cakes, candies, and ice cream, and even dipped in hot pot or combined with passion fruit and cheese as a seafood dip.
Not only are they crazy about the sweet and creamy flesh, but the Chinese also eat durian skin. Photo: Manh Cuong
According to traditional Chinese medicine, durian flesh has a warming effect, a slightly bitter taste, and is associated with the liver, lungs, and kidneys. It is believed to boost health, warm the lungs, ward off colds, and reduce fatigue…
As a result, in addition to the flesh, people in this country of billions also use durian skin. They peel off the green thorns on the outside to get the white flesh. The durian flesh is then cut into small pieces and added to chicken stew or pork rib soup.
The leader of the Plant Protection Department (MARD) said that Vietnam has a lot of potential to export durian to China because the scale of this market will soon reach the $10 billion mark, according to VietNamNet.
In fact, since the middle of 2022, when durian officially got its “passport” to the Chinese market, the export turnover of this fruit has continuously set historical records.
Specifically, if in 2021, durian exports brought in a meager $178 million, it quickly increased to $421 million in 2022. Last year, in 2023, durian export turnover set a record of $2.24 billion, officially becoming Vietnam’s new “billion-dollar fruit.”
This year, after only 9 months, according to statistics from the General Department of Customs, the export turnover of durian (HS code 0810.60.00) reached $2.66 billion, up sharply by 63.7%, equivalent to an increase of $1.04 billion over the same period last year. Vietnam’s “king of fruits” continues to break the record for the whole of 2023, although there are still 3 months left until the end of 2024.
Notably, 95% of Vietnam’s durian is exported to the Chinese market, while other markets account for a rather modest proportion.
In addition to the durian flesh, the people of this country of billions also use the white flesh of the durian skin. The durian flesh is cut into small pieces and added to chicken stew or pork rib soup.
Recently, Vietnam continued to sign a protocol with China to officially export frozen durian to this market. Enterprises predict that the first batches of Vietnamese frozen durian will be exported to China in November this year.
According to MARD, by the end of September this year, the output of harvested durian in Vietnam reached nearly 985,000 tons, up nearly 17% over the same period last year. The output for the whole year is estimated at 1.2 million tons. There are still many growing areas to be harvested in the last months of the year.
Meanwhile, the Vietnam Vegetables and Fruits Association estimates that by the end of October, durian export turnover may reach $3 billion, according to Knowledge.
