Durian theft a concern for farmers in major growing areas as prices soar

At the end of August a trio made headlines for being arrested by the police for stealing 200 durians weighing 700 kilograms in three wards in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

They used two cars to transport the stolen fruits and had carried out a similar theft a week prior.

The Central Highlands, Vietnam’s largest durian-producing region, is especially affected by theft during the August-to-October harvest season. With over 51,400 hectares of durian, the region accounted for 40% of the country’s durian production in 2023, according to the Department of Crop Production.

Durian farmer Nguyen Binh Trong of Central Highlands Dak Lak Province told Nhan Dan Online newspaper that in mid-July, when the harvest was approaching, someone severely damaged 22 of his durian trees and cut down 800 kilograms of unripe fruits.

"Years of hard work and savings that my family poured into the orchard were just about to bear fruit, but now the trees are destroyed," he said in tears.

Y Khoan Kbuor, who lives in the same province, said: "Durian is currently fetching a good price, and so at this time the biggest concerns for my family and people in my neighborhood are security and theft."

Since Vietnam began officially exporting durians to China in 2022, prices have more than doubled, rising from VND55,000-60,000 (US$2.2-2.4) per kilogram in 2021 to VND115,000-145,000, and at times in 2023 reaching VND230,000.

Monthong durians grown in an orchard in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. Photo by VnExpress/Thi Ha

To ensure public security during this year’s harvest, local authorities and the police in Dak Lak have strengthened efforts to combat crimes, as reported by national radio broadcaster VOV.

They are also inspecting storage facilities, patrolling areas where there are durian orchards far from residential neighborhoods and establishing support teams for durian harvesting and sale.

However, durian theft is not only a problem in Vietnam. Farmers in Malaysia and Thailand, two other major durian exporters, face similar challenges as China’s demand for the fruit continues to drive up prices.

In Malaysia, the durian trade has helped farmers earn good money in Raub, a town 90 minutes away from the capital Kuala Lumpur, The New York Times reported.

But the prospects of large profits have also sparked tensions and disputes over durian farms. Some roadside orchards in the town are fenced with razor wire and have signs warning against theft.

Wilson Chang, chairman of the Save Musang King Alliance, a group of durian farmers in Raub, said in July he received reports of durian theft in several areas during this year’s harvest in May-August, according to Malaysian news site SAYS.

Similarly, rising prices have prompted durian farmers in northern Thailand to guard their crops day and night during the peak season from April to September, Thai news website Thaiger reported.

Last March police in Trat, one of the country’s key fruit-growing provinces, launched a durian guarding service that offers registered farmers more surveillance, especially at night.

The initiative was rolled out after thieves stole 1 billion baht (US$30,000) worth of durian from a plantation in the eastern province.

According to Thailand’s Department of Agriculture, the country shipped 714,334 tons of durians worth at least 94 billion baht (US$2.84 billion) to China in the year to date.