Fruit prices are rising as China increases purchases. It is forecast that this increase shall continue further when China reopens customs on January 8, 2023.
In recent days, the prices of fruit items tends to increase, especially dragon fruit.
Mr. Hoat, an owner of a dragon fruit garden in Tien Giang, said that dragon fruits were bought by traders three times more than one month ago.
Specifically, red dragon fruit type 1 is purchased at a price of over 34,000 VND/kg, type 2 at 28,000-30,000 VND/kg, and type 3 is between 23,000-25,000 VND.
At the above price, according to Mr. Hoat, after deducting the cost of electricity, burning lights (stimulating flowering), manure, and plant protection drugs, he can earn a profit of about 100 million VND/05 tonnes of goods.
“This is a very high price compared to our expectations. Meanwhile, in the previous year, there were times, the price was only 5,000-7,000 VND/kg, causing many farmers to go bankrupt, ” Mr. Hoat said and added that the above price was due to Chine’s increase in purchases.
The red dragon fruit price has tripled. (Photo: Thanh Phong)
Similarly, in Binh Thuan – the center of dragon fruit, the prices also increased sharply. Specifically, white dragon fruit type 1 costs 13,000-15,000 VND/kg and red dragon fruit costs 35,000-37,000 VND/kg.
“The price of white dragon fruit is currently increasing sharply compared to the end of 2021, but it has not been recovered to the price level in 2019 – before the Covid-19 pandemic,” said one business.
This price has not stopped since from January 8, 2023, China will reopen and the export of dragon fruit to China will be more favorable than before.
Not only dragon fruit, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that when the situation of customs clearance at border gates is smooth, this year, Vietnam also has one more billion-dollar fruit – durian, so the export value at Tet holiday will be very high.
In addition, thanks to the favorable passage with the Chinese market, the prices of other fruits are also forecast to increase, especially traditional export items.
With those factors, Mr. Nguyen expects that in 2023, Vietnam’s export turnover will increase by 20-30%, reaching about 4 billion USD. In which, durian and dragon fruit have the highest turnover.
“It is forecast that in 2023, these two items will be put in the billion-dollar category, thereby, the import and export turnover of vegetables and fruits will increase sharply,” Mr. Nguyen said.
However, he also advised that China is currently a difficult market with strict standards, so farmers and businesses need to comply with market regulations to export smoothly, and avoid violations.
For now, Vietnam has 05 plant-based products exported to China in the form of signing the protocol including mangosteen, black jelly, durian, banana, and sweet potato.
At the same time, there are 07 traditional fruit export items allowed: mango, dragon fruit, longan, lychee, watermelon, rambutan, and jackfruit.
In addition, Vietnam is temporarily exporting fresh chilies and passion fruits to neighboring markets. Moreover, some items are under negotiation to open the market such as grapefruit, soursop, coconut, plum, and lime./.