The price of durian being sold at gardens is 105,000 VND/kg. Meanwhile, in warehouses, the price goes up to 130,000 VND, an increase of 50-60% compared to October.
Mr. Loc, the owner of a durian garden in Cai Lay (Tien Giang), said that he had just sold durian at 105,000 VND/ kg for type A and 90,000 VND/kg for Ri6 type B. This is the highest price so far in the season.
“In July, the selling price was only 65,000 VND/ kg, but now the off-season durian brings unexpected profits,” Mr. Loc said.
Similarly, Mr. Thanh, an owner of a durian garden in Dak Lak, has about 20 Monthong Thai trees not yet available for harvest but traders have offered 115,000 VND/kg which is a record high that he has sold so far.
“Durian at the end of the season is rare so I wait for traders to increase the price,” Mr. Thanh said.
Farmers in the Southwest region in the durian harvest season.
As a durian buyer in Can Tho, Mr. Dang Manh Khuong said that the price of this fruit is increasing every day, 105,000 VND/kg at gardens for Ri6. Only Monthong in the Southwest has almost no supply.
“Never before have I bought durians of all types that high. However, durian supply in the market is very low, ” Mr. Khuong said.
At Thin Phuc Phat durian garden, in Long Khanh (Tien Giang), the price of Ri6 type 1 is 128,000 VND and type B is 113,000 VND. According to this garden manager, the output is down 50% compared to the previous quarter.
Explaining the strong price increase, buyers said that the output is low but the demand from the domestic and foreign markets increases, causing the price to go up strongly.
“Currently, the production of durian for harvest is dropping sharply due to the end of the season. Durians in many gardens are not available for harvest yet but I have to deposit in advance to have goods for sale, ” Mr. Khuong said.
Sharing the same idea, a representative of Van Hoa Company said that orders from the Chinese market increased while durian is now at the end of the season in the Southwest and Central Highlands. Only a few areas have durians for harvest.
“In the next few days, the price will be unstable if the supply becomes low,” a representative of the company said.
Durian Ri6 at a garden in Can Tho.
According to sellers in the Central Highlands, at this time, it is difficult to buy durian. In some gardens, durian can be harvested in about 10-15 days but the yield is only about 2-5 tons per garden.
Mr. Nguyen Nhu Cuong, Director of the Department of Crop Production (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), said that the peak durian season in the Central Highlands provinces has nearly ended. There is only a small area of off-season durians in Gia Lai province, with an output of about 260,000 tons.
Similarly, in the Southwest region, the area of off-season durians is also small. In contrast, consumption demand in China is high. Supplies for this market from Thailand or the Philippines are out of stock. Malaysia alone has frozen durians with prices 2-3 times higher than Vietnamese goods.
According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, durian prices may continue to go up as demand from the domestic market and China increases./.