Durian earned the country more than 1 billion USD in the first seven months of this year and the export value of the fruit is forecast to top 2 billion USD the whole year.
Currently, Vietnam has more than 112,000 ha of durian with a yearly output of about 900,000 tonnes. In the last five years, the durian area increased by nearly 25% yearly. The country’s major durian-growing areas include the Central Highlands with more than 52,000 ha, accounting for about 47% of the total area, the Mekong Delta region with 33,000 ha (about 30%), and the Southeast region with 21,000 ha (about 19%).
In the past two years, durian prices have surged strongly after a protocol on plant quarantine requirements for official durian export to China was signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the General Department of Customs of China. The document’s signing has created opportunities and strong motivation for the development of the durian industry, significantly raising income and profits for farmers and businesses in the product chain.
Nguyen Hoai Duong, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dak Lak province, said that the Central Highlands province has about 23,000 ha of land under durian. Besides the favourable factors, many difficulties, challenges and risks have emerged due to “hot growth”.
Nguyen Thi Thai Thanh, chairwoman of Ban Me Green Farm Joint Stock Company, said a major challenge for the durian industry is the lack of sustainable linkage between production and consumption.
“The durian industry lacks a tight bond between cooperatives, farmers, and businesses. When durian prices soar, farmers are ready to suspend existing selling contracts with businesses. This leads to instability in the industry’s operations and also affects quality of products. At the same time, cooperatives have not fully played their role in the linkage chain,” Thanh noted.
Le Anh Trung, Director of Public Relations of Van Hoa Investment and Development Company in Dak Lak, said that a sharp increase in durian prices causes damage to export businesses.
“We hope that the authorities and Dak Lak province’s durian association will have communication activities to help people know the real value of durian fruit, and provide training for farmers to improve farming technique, thus stabilising prices and quality of products, which will reassure both businesses and farmers”, Trung proposed.
Helping Vietnamese durian go farther
The Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dak Lak said in order for the Vietnamese durian industry to go farther and secure sustainable markets, all stakeholders in the value chain must collaborate closely. This means that farmers, businesses, local administrations, State management agencies, and scientists should work together in developing the industry.
Chairman of the Dak Lak Durian Association Vu Duc Con said that it is necessary to organise a production chain from growing areas to packaging facilities, plant quarantine treatment facilities and export enterprises to create qualified products that meet plant quarantine and food safety standards.
In addition, it is necessary to apply information technology in managing growing areas and packaging facilities with codes that will be used to serve inspection and monitoring activities.
Speaking at a recent forum on the current situation of durian production and export linkage in 2023 and solutions for effective and sustainable development of Vietnam’s durian industry, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that business community, durian growers, and local state management agencies need to anticipate the difficulties and challenges in this industry despite the growing export of the fruit.
The minister stressed that a sustainable industry structure is needed to ensure the development of the durian industry in particular and other industries in general.
Restructuring production is not simply about improving planting techniques but creating a space for farmers and businesses to sit together. Businesses should work together with growers from the stage of sowing seeds to guide them and gain their trust.
The minister emphasised that it is time to tighten state management. In addition, businesses should be aware that trading durian is not only for profit but also a responsibility to the national agriculture, replacing business relationships with cooperative relationship./.
