Vietnam durian exports to China surpass Thailand’s

Vietnam exported 177,000 tons of durians worth US$640.72 million to China in September, surpassing Thailand as the top supplier of the fruit to that market.

China spent $894.58 million in all to import 228,000 tons of durian in September, with Vietnam accounting for 77.6% of it, Thanh Nien newspaper reported last Thursday, citing data from China’s General Administration of Customs.

But Thailand remained the leader in the first nine months, exporting nearly 755,000 tons of the fruit worth $3.73 billion, accounting for 54.7%, according to Dan tri online newspaper. But the figures represented year-on-year declines of 14.1% in volume and 13.3% in value.

During the period Vietnam shipped 618,000 tons worth $2.45 billion, up 72.2% in volume and 57.3% in value.

According to Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, Vietnam typically has an edge over Thailand around year-end when it has off-season durian to export to China unlike Thailand, whose harvest ends well before that.

He said Chinese demand also rises at that time as consumers ramp up purchases for the year-end holidays and the Lunar New Year.

Vietnam enjoys transport advantages such as road and rail links with China, which helps its exporters save time and costs, he added.

In a bid to boost its competitiveness, Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency recently rolled out a project called One Tambon, One Digital that aims enhance durian farmers’ productivity, strengthen consumer trust in Thai durians, and promote high-value products on a global scale, particularly amid competition from China and nearby nations, the Bangkok Post reported.

The initiative will help over 6,100 farming households adopt digital platforms to record cultivation data and train 12,200 farmers in 23 provinces in e-commerce and Good Agricultural Practices, which is required to export durian.

The country has 163,200 hectares under durian, and grows 1.53 million tons of the fruit annually.

Durian accounted for 69% of its fruit exports in 2023, with China being the primary export market.

Vietnam shipped 500,000 tons of durian worth $2.3 billion that year, with 90% going to China. It has 154,000 ha under the fruit and an output of 1.2 million tons.

It previously surpassed Thailand in durian exports to China earlier this year, shipping 32,750 tons in the first two months of 2024. Thailand’s exports in the same period plunged by half to 19,000 tons.