Red dragon fruit is being sold for 10,000-13,000 VND/kg which is down 50% compared to the same period last year due to China’s reduced imports.
Along the streets of Thong Nhat, Pham Van Chieu (Go Vap), Pham Van Dong (Thu Duc City), and Nguyen Xi (Binh Thanh)… red dragon fruit was sold at half the price of the same period last year. This is also the first year that this fruit is sold on all streets in Ho Chi Minh City.
Mr. Hoang, owner of a dragon fruit stall on Thong Nhat Street, said that this fruit has never been as cheap as it is today. In previous years, he could only buy dragon fruit type 2 or 3 to sell while high-quality ones were for export. However, this year, all types are available in large quantities and at very low prices.
Red dragon fruit prices dropped by half.
Meanwhile, Mr. Thuan, owner of a fruit trolley on Pham Van Dong Street, said that he is selling both white and red dragon fruit taken from Cho Gao (Tien Giang) which have a sweet taste. “Many farmers find the price too low to cut, so I buy them at a reasonable price and transport them to Ho Chi Minh City for sale,” he said.
Not only fruit trolleys but many fruit stores also sell red and white dragon fruit at 15,000-20,000 VND/kg which is down 40% over the same period last year. Most store owners said that the supply to the market is quite abundant but the purchasing power is weak, causing the price to drop sharply.
In Cho Gao district (Tien Giang province), the price of dragon fruit at gardens offered by traders is between 4,000-8,000 VND/kg.
Mr. Huu who has more than 4,000 m2 of red dragon fruit, said that at this price, he has no profits. Shortly, if the profit from this fruit continues to decline, his family may switch to another crop.
Similarly, Mr. Hoan, a former member of the dragon fruit cooperative in Long An, said that the area of this fruit has been reduced by half for more than a year. In the coming time, he may stop to switch to other crops.
According to the Long An Dragon Fruit Association, in the golden age, the area of this fruit in the province was over 12,000 ha, now there are 9,000 ha left. That means more than 3,000 ha was destroyed by farmers. Currently, the production of dragon fruit is only 50% compared to the previous years. In the past, Chinese traders came to buy Vietnamese dragon fruit, causing prices to rise. But now, the export of red dragon fruit has dropped sharply, even up to 40%.
Data from the Department of Crops and Plant Protection of Tien Giang shows that the area of fruit trees in the whole province is 86,089 ha. The area of dragon fruit is more than 8,700 ha. Up to now, the province has granted and operated 279 fruit tree growing area codes, with an area of more than 20,000 ha. In particular, 78 dragon fruit growing area codes have been issued, with an area of more than 6,100 ha.
Red dragon fruit is sold on streets in Ho Chi Minh city.
Exporters believe that the reason for the sharp fall in the price of red dragon fruit is the decrease in China’s purchases. Meanwhile, the purchasing power of the domestic market is weak because of many other tropical fruits in harvest season with attractive prices.
Currently, China has not succeeded in handling the off-season fruits, but the production of red dragon fruit in this country has increased strongly. China is also growing yellow dragon fruit to diversify its products. Last year, this country announced the planting of 67,000 ha of dragon fruit with a production of 1.6 million tons. This is more than Vietnam in terms of both area and production. China then encourages farmers to expand the area, diversifies products, and provides technical support to achieve higher productivity.
According to People’s Daily, recently farmers in Cixi, Ningbo, and Zhejiang province in Eastern China continuously worked through the night to artificially pollinate dragon fruit, ensuring a successful harvest. Here, they also expand the area more than before. This makes the price of red dragon fruit in Nanning lower than that of Vietnamese goods.
In Guangxi, China’s largest dragon fruit producer, prices have decreased to record lows. The retail price of red dragon fruit at a market in Nanning is about 7 yuan (equal to 23,000 VND/kg). Meanwhile, white dragon fruit from Vietnam costs about 9 yuan (equal to 30,000 VND/kg).
Data from Vietnam Customs show that in August, dragon fruit exports reached 40.6 million USD, which was down 20.5% over the same period last year and 34% compared to July. Accumulated in 8 months, dragon fruit exports reached 442 million USD, which was down 4.4% over the same period in 2022. Both white and red dragon fruit fell sharply in the Chinese market. In 8 months of this year, the export of red dragon fruit to China decreased by up to 36.5%, and to the US by 39%./.