Chanh Thu JSC was one of five companies exporting the first consignment of durian to the Chinese market through official channels in September 2022.

ChanhThu’s CEO Ngo Tuong Vy said the company has been shipping durian to China regularly since the protocol on exporting durian to China was signed by the two countries.

Vy said that the company’s revenue in 2023 doubled that in 2022 thanks to durian. The fruit made up 80 percent of the total revenue of the company.

Other companies have also reported sharp increases in revenue from durian exports to China and are planning to expand exports this year.

Doan Nguyen Duc, president of Hoang Anh Gia Lai, said the group has 300-400 hectares of durian growing area this year, 10-13 times higher than that in 2023. Durian will be sold directly to Chinese distributors, not via intermediaries.

Vietnam’s durian has been exported to China for many years, but through unofficial channels. Since July 2022, when the protocol was signed, durian has been exported through official channels.

Vietnam’s durian exports to China have skyrocketed. In 2022, durian exports brought modest turnover of $420 million, while in 2023, the figure was $2.3 billion, or 10 times higher than 2021.

The supply of durian from Vietnam has caused the Thai market share to fall sharply.

Thailand took prompt actions to improve durian quality to retain the Chinese market.

Thailand was China’s only supplier of durian for many years. However, Thai durian market share dropped to 95 percent in 2022 and to 70 percent by the end of the first 10 months in 2023. Meanwhile, Vietnamese market share increased from 5 percent to 30 percent last year. 

Analysts said Chinese durian demand is on the rise with market value reaching $20 billion by 2025. However, there will be more durian suppliers. Malaysia also plans to begin exporting durian to China this year.

Nguyen Quy Duong from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said Vietnam is planning to export frozen durian as well. All procedures have been completed for the protocol signing.

Dang Phuc Nguyen from the Vietnam Vegetables and Fruit Association said with 130,000 hectares of durian growing area, output would be 1.2 million tons this year, and exports would bring turnover of $3.5 billion.

Tam An