VNExpress-Mar 14
Vietnamese dragon fruit is at risk of oversupply, while durian prices will likely plummet as China, the local fruits’ largest importer, continues growing an increasing amount of the two trees.
Late last month, China announced its dragon fruit output had reached 1.6 million tons a year, 200,000 tons higher than Vietnam’s output. According to Chinese customs’ statistics, Chinese demand for dragon fruit is some two million tons a year. Regarding durian, China imported over 800,000 tons of the fruit worth some US$4 billion last year. But the giant economy it is likely to import less this year because after years of failed experiments, the country’s farmers are finally growing the fruit successfully in China’s southern regions, according to experts. So the northern neighbor’s plan to ensure its own local supply of agricultural products puts key Vietnamese farm items exported to the Chinese market at risk of oversupply.
.In previous years, China imported more than 300 containers of Vietnamese dragon fruit every day through Vietnam’s northern border gates, Hiep said. But he added that the figure is now already less than 100 containers. Vietnamese durian also has to compete with Thai and Malaysian fruit in the Chinese market. Vietnam’s total fruit and vegetable exports in the first two months of this year increased by 17.8% year-on-year to $592 million. China accounted for 57.5% of all Vietnamese fruit exports, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Read more at:
