The Ultimate Guide to Growing Chinese Fruits: Unlocking Export Success for Vietnam

It’s all about durian – the king of fruits. China is regarded as the largest consumer market for durian in the world today. The country has made repeated attempts to cultivate durian to meet domestic demand. However, after years of experimental planting, Chinese farmers have not been able to grow it successfully.

Durian plantations in some Chinese regions have been expanded in recent years. However, the trees have not borne fruit evenly, and the quality has not met expectations. Moreover, China is facing carbon emissions when cultivating this fruit.

In a recent study by the College of Resources and Environmental Sciences at Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU), it was found that for every kilogram of durian produced, an equivalent of two kilograms of CO2 is emitted.

This result was obtained after the researchers collected samples and analyzed data from farms in Hainan, China’s main durian-producing region.

According to experts, processes such as cultivation, irrigation, fertilization, pesticide application, packaging, and transportation all contribute to carbon emissions during the durian’s growth cycle.

Associate Professor Cheng Kun from NAU stated that durian has a higher carbon footprint than other fruits. In reality, durian trees in China have only started bearing fruit in the past two years. Lower yields during the initial growth stage of the trees result in a higher carbon footprint per fruit.

As a result, China is seeking ways to reduce carbon emissions in durian cultivation and agriculture as a whole.

Experts from NAU have developed a type of biomass charcoal to enrich organic matter in the soil, improve soil structure, and increase water retention and fertility. Chinese durian-growing companies have started using this charcoal.

Vietnam Exports Durian Worth Billions of USD

On the other hand, Vietnam is the country that has exported durian and earned billions of USD in the past few years.

In 2023, China spent approximately 6.5 billion USD to import 1.4 million tons of durian, an increase of nearly 70% compared to the previous year. The supply of durian mainly came from Thailand and Vietnam.

Vietnamese durian has been exported to China for many years. However, it was only in October 2022 that Vietnamese durian was officially exported to China through official channels. Thanks to this, the export turnover of Vietnam’s “king of fruits” has continuously broken historical records. As a result, the lives of durian farmers have improved significantly, earning billions of VND per hectare.

According to gardeners in the Mekong Delta, with high off-season durian prices, farmers can earn a profit of 1-2.5 billion VND per hectare, depending on yield and price. Meanwhile, with the main crop durian, after deducting expenses, farmers still make a profit of about 700 million VND to 1 billion VND per hectare.

For instance, in 2023, according to statistics from the General Department of Customs, the export turnover of durian reached 2.24 billion USD. Of this, the Chinese market accounted for 96.8% of the total export turnover of Vietnam’s durian industry. This result has made durian the next billion-dollar fruit of Vietnam, second only to dragon fruit. Currently, durian continues to lead in export turnover among the key export fruit and vegetable groups of Vietnam, four times higher than dragon fruit (the fruit that used to hold the top position).

In the first six months of this year, durian export turnover reached about 1.32 billion USD, up 45% over the same period in 2023. According to experts, in the last six months of the year, export turnover is expected to reach an additional 2 billion USD due to the durian harvest in the Central Highlands.

Experts predict that with the current import speed and demand, the capacity of the Chinese durian market is expected to increase to 20 billion USD/year. This means that Vietnam still has a lot of potential to promote the export of this fruit to China.

In fact, China and Vietnam have completed technical negotiations and will soon sign a protocol on the export of frozen durian. Thus, in addition to fresh durian, Vietnam can also export frozen durian products to the Chinese market.

According to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, if Vietnam can sign an additional protocol on exporting frozen durian to China, the export turnover of this fruit will increase by a few hundred million USD each year.

Reference: Mard, Customs, Xinhua