Dragon fruit prices triple

Farmers in Tien Giang Province are selling the red-fleshed dragon fruit at VND38,000 ($1.62) per kilogram and white-fleshed for VND32,000, up 10% from before the Lunar New Year holiday and triple from the same time last year.

Nguyen Thi Hanh, a farmer, told VnExpress that she sold five tons at VND32,000 per kilogram and earned a profit of VND110 million.

In Binh Thuan Province, prices of white-fleshed dragon fruit have also tripled to VND25,000.

Industry insiders say that the resumption of border trade with China after three years of restrictions has helped boost prices. China accounts for around 90% of Vietnam’s dragon fruit exports.

Binh Thuan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that as trucks can pass the border easily without having to wait for days as they did during the pandemic, dragon fruit is being sent to China quickly, and farmers are set to report large profits as the main harvest season approaches.

"We are working to connect farmers with possible export locations in China to help them sell their fruit with ease," said Mai Kieu, director of the department.

Since January Chinese customs no longer requires goods to be tested for Covid-19 at border gates with Vietnam and it has also lifted all other pandemic safety measures.

Vietnam’s exports to China rose 8% to $119.3 billion in 2022 compared to a year earlier, while imports climbed 4.5% to $58.4 billion.