Thai mangosteen sells for 50% price of local varieties

Despite the low price, the quality this year is better than in the past, Oanh, a fruit merchant at the Xom Moi market in HCMC’s Go Vap District, said.

"The imported fruit usually costs VND100,000-200,000 per kilogram, but prices are down this year due to oversupply."

She manages to sell 30-50 kilograms a day, she said.

Lan Anh, who sells both varieties on Go Vap’s Thong Nhat Street, said Thai mangosteen far outsells its local counterparts.

A manager at a wholesale market in HCMC’s Thu Duc City said his market has imported 260 tons of the fruit in the last two weeks.

It might become even cheaper in the coming weeks as the market plans to boost imports further, he said.

It is currently the best-selling fruit in the market, they added.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese variety is 15% more expensive than last year due to low supply as the mangosteen season has barely started.

Besides, demand for peeled unripe mangosteen has surged recently since people buy it for a popular chicken salad.

Mangosteen is a long-lasting fruit with thick skin, making it convenient to ship it over long distances.

It is grown in limited areas in Can Tho City and Binh Duong, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, and Dong Nai provinces.

Farmers are less inclined to grow the fruit as the saplings take up to 10 years to mature and fruit, while harvesting them is labor-intensive with farmers having to pick them one by one.

Thailand, with 80,000 hectares under the fruit, is one of the top producers globally.