VNExpress/VNA-Sept 15
As Vietnam’s durian output climbs and importing markets tighten quality requirements, the industry must pivot from volume growth to sustainable value chains, better quality and diversified markets. Vietnam’s durian industry has built concentrated production zones and gained global shelf space. Land, growers and business resources give it room to add value through preservation technology, deep processing, logistics and market expansion. The Central Highlands’ Dak Lak Province, which accounts for about 22% of national durian-growing area, now has roughly 44,000 ha under the fruit, with nearly 30,000 ha in harvest. Its 2026 output is projected to hit a record of about 500,000 tons. But cold-chain infrastructure remains incomplete while post-harvest preservation and deep processing are limited. Production remains fragmented, value chain links are weak, and quality control and traceability lag growth. Former National Assembly Vice President Le Minh Hoan said the industry must move from a “commodity chain” to a “commodity ecosystem.” That means involving farmers and buyers, plus cooperatives, input suppliers, exporters, banks, insurers, research institutes, universities, agricultural promotion agencies, logistics providers, quarantine authorities and consumers. Authorities should connect them, fostering long-term cooperation over seasonal buy-sell relationships.
To date, data on 48,754 products from nine product lines of 19 enterprises have been uploaded, while 24 of 34 cities and provinces have reported progress. Cumulatively, the system holds data on 158,234 products across 18,524 product lines, involving 200 companies and 2,948 households and cooperatives.
The ministry has flagged durian as a priority commodity for chain-based traceability, linking growing-area codes, packing facilities, testing, quarantine and export consignments. It is finalizing data standards, APIs, connectivity procedures and interoperability with national systems, laying the groundwork for data to be created once and used many times. Dak Lak, a top producer, is shifting from expanding area to boosting quality and value. On Aug. 20, the General Administration of Customs of China approved 140 additional durian growing-area codes in Dak Lak covering more than 4,321 ha, along with 31 packing facilities with a combined area of over 91,000 square meters and capacity of about 5,470 tons per day. The approvals give the province more room to plug into formal export supply chains. Read more at:
