Durian supply dwindles as exports surge and off-season harvest falters

Over the last week, several stores specializing in durian in HCMC have shuttered while many others are running out of stock.

At a market in Phu Nhuan District, various fruit stalls are open but none of them have any durian for sale. Even a store that usually sells premium fruits in District 1 has not been able to procure the fruit recently.

The store’s salesperson told Tuoi Tre Online that durians have become scarce and the little supply they could find is of inferior quality.

The reduced supply has driven prices of premium durian varieties, such as Monthong and Ri6, up to VND150,000 (US$5.3) and VND135,000 per kilogram—double the prices of two months ago.

Hoang, a durian merchant, said: "I used to be able to procure 10 tons (of durians) a day, but now I can only find a ton or two."

Merchants have reported that supply is declining now that the main harvest in the Central Highlands, one of Vietnam’s largest durian-growing regions, which usually runs from August to October, has ended.

From November to March, the fruit is typically supplied by the off-season harvest, but this year’s crops have not developed as well as in previous years, as reported by Ap Bac Online newspaper.

Hong, the owner of an orchard in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, said the weather this year has delayed the off-season harvest.

The province has approximately 15,000 hectares under durians that produce nearly 400,000 tons of fruits per year, with about 50-70% of this area used for off-season production.

Nguyen Minh Long, who owns a 1.2-hectare durian farm in the province, told Nhan Dan Online newspaper late last month that constant rain caused his trees to not produce flowers, a crucial step in fruit formation, despite him having performed all the necessary treatments.

"I have grown durians for years yet have not encountered such a difficult harvest," he said, adding that he might have to nurture the plants and wait for next year’s harvest.

Many farmers in the province have also reported their trees not bearing fruits or very low yield.

Nguyen Van Gia Bao, CEO of durian firm Huynh Nuong, said durians are typically ready for harvest around this time of year, yet few orchards currently have any stock available.

Supply is expected to start trickling in later this month, but it will not see a major boost until early next year, he said.

While the off-season harvest struggles to get off the ground, both domestic and international demand for durians, as well as other fruits and vegetables, has risen.

This influx in demand is a common occurrence in the last quarter of the year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Some $931 million worth of durians were exported in October alone, up 53.1% year-on-year and a 1.52% increase from September, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Dang Phuc Nguyen, the association’s general secretary, expected demand from China, the top export market, to rise further in the coming months as consumers there often ramp up purchases for the year-end holidays and the Lunar New Year.

Vietnam will also be the main supplier for that market as its main competitor, Thailand, will not have much fruit to export as its harvest has ended.

Nguyen forecast that durian exports will reach a record of $3.5 billion this year, up 55% from 2023.