According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first seven months of 2024, Vietnam posted approximately US$1.7 billion in revenue from durian exports.
Secretary General Dang Phuc Nguyen of the Vietnam Fruit Association stated that farmers in the Mekong Delta provinces such as Tien Giang and Vinh Long have significantly increased durian production during the off-season, resulting in a substantial boost in output over the past seven months. Currently, approximately 50 percent to 60 percent of the durian cultivation area in the Mekong Delta is dedicated to off-season production.
Additionally, unfavorable weather conditions have led to a sharp decline in durian production in Thailand, creating further market opportunities for Vietnamese durians.
Contributing significantly to the billion-dollar durian export figure are off-season durians from the Mekong Delta along with part of the main-crop durians from this region and durians from the coastal area of Central Vietnam and the Southeastern region. This implies that a substantial volume of durians, especially those from the Central Highlands region, will be exported during the final months of this year.
According to the figures of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total durian cultivation area in Vietnam is currently around 150,000 hectares, with over 75,000 hectares located in the Central Highlands region. Durians are currently grown in four main regions including the Mekong Delta, the Southeastern region, the coastal area of Central Vietnam, and the Central Highlands. Harvesting of main-crop durians in the Mekong Delta typically occurs from April to August.
Similarly, durian harvesting in the coastal area of Central Vietnam extends from April to June. In the Southeastern region, durian fruit is harvested from May to July. As for the Central Highlands, durian harvesting occurs from July to November. With these favorable conditions, agricultural experts predict that durian exports in the final months of this year will be even higher, potentially reaching the US$3.5 billion milestone for total annual exports.
