Mekong Delta durian farmers unhappy as prices plunge to $1 per kilogram

Nguyen Thanh Binh, who has grown durians for nearly 20 years on a 3,000-square-meter plot in Tien Giang Province’s Cai Lay District, said he recently sold nine tons of Ri6 and Monthong durians at that price to earn profits of VND30 million.

"Prices are at a record low and the profit was barely worth a year’s work."

But he spends about VND1 million a week on nutrients for the trees after a harvest and double that to treat fruits and leaves during the flowering period.

"If I stop spending on care, the trees may weaken or die, and I will lose everything," he said.

The average cost of tending durian is VND28,000-38,000 per kilogram, he added.

Durian being harvested at Tien Giang Province’s Cai Lay District in the Mekong Delta. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Nam

Some 50 kilometers away from Binh’s orchard is Luong Nhu Y’s 5,000-square-meter farm in Dong Thap Province’s My Long Commune.

Y said he has spent over VND500 million on his trees, which took seven years to bear fruit.

He only broke even three years ago and has since earned a total of VND60 million. Each harvest racks up hundreds of millions of dong in costs, he said.

"I cannot abandon my orchard, but maintaining [the current level of] spending puts me at risk of greater losses."

According to Dr. Le Quoc Dien, former director of the Southern Fruit Research Institute’s Center for Science and Technology Transfer, durian trees only start bearing fruit after five years.

The techniques to maintain them are also very specific, from pruning and shaping the canopy to managing nutrients and inducing flowering, he noted.

Each tree should be kept under five meters and 18 branches, should ideally carry around 80 fruits and have a specific ratio of mature to young leaves. Using fertilizers inappropriately could result in low-quality fruits and damage to the trees, he said.

Durian trees do not grow well when planted alongside short-term crops due to their high nutrient requirements, and so are referred to as the "royal tree" or the "rich man’s crop."

Dien said it costs VND1-3 billion per hectare (10,000 square meters) during the first five years to grow durian.

After the trees start bearing fruit, a hectare requires around VND500 million worth of fertilizers, pesticides and labor annually, he said.

"The long wait and huge upfront costs can easily push durian farmers into poverty. Some are forced to sell their orchards before trees can even bear fruit because they run out of money."

Monthong durians at an orchard in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang. Photo by VnExpress/ Hoang Nam

Vietnam had over 178,000 ha under the fruit in 2024, a fivefold increase from 32,000 in 2015. The Mekong Delta accounted for 35,000 ha, with nearly 70% of that in Tien Giang alone. The country produces more than 1.5 million tons of the fruit annually.

Its prices are currently just a third from a year ago mainly due to China’s stricter import standards, which now require testing for auramine O, a carcinogen.

Vietnam exported $3.3 billion worth of the fruit in 2024, with 97% going to China.

But shipments fell by 69% year-on-year in the first two months of this year to $52.7 million, with exports to China declining by 83%. Durian, once the top fruit export, trailed dragon fruit and banana.

Le Chi Thien, director of the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Environment, said local authorities are providing technical training for farmers to help them improve fruit quality, reduce chemical residues and find solutions to cut costs and stay afloat amid the falling prices.