Vietnam is expected to export US$1.2-1.5 billion worth of durians in 2023, a year-on-year surge of 3.5-fold, heard a forum held in Dong Nai Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City, on Friday.

The country’s revenue from durian exports reached a record high of some $850 million in the first half of the year, double the 2022 figure, according to the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The durian cultivation area has been widened rapidly over the past five years, said the department.

As of late 2022, Vietnam is home to over 110,000 hectares of durian cultivation, a three-fold increase against 2017.

During the period, the durian growing area rose by 24.5 percent a year.

Of the total, over 54,000 hectares of durian farming land is entering the harvest season, with an estimated output of 850,000 metric tons.

Durians are mainly grown in the Central Highlands, Mekong Delta and Southeast regions of Vietnam.

However, Vietnam’s durian farming sector is still facing some challenges, said experts and officials attending the forum co-organized by the Dong Nai Province people’s Committee, the Vietnam Gardening Association and the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association.

Among them are small-scale farms, unfavorable farming soil, and unstable consumption.

More stringent requirements set by importing markets on origin traceability and food safety, and limited technology application to farming have hindered the Southeast Asian nation’s durian farming industry.

Prof. Dr. Tran Van Hau, former senior lecturer at Can Tho University, said at the forum that Vietnam’s durian export value remained modest compared with Thailand.

Thailand has two key durian growing hubs in its eastern and southern regions, with the harvest season spanning from March to December.

The neighbor of Vietnam has no durians in January and February, paving the way for Vietnam to beef up its durian exports during the period.

Vietnam’s main durian harvest season lasts from April to October, but the country can also produce the fruit in the Southwestern region between November and March, said Prof. Hau.

Prof. Dr. Tran Van Hau, former senior lecturer at Can Tho University, pinpoints some challenges facing the Vietnamese durian farming industry at the forum. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre

Le Thanh Tung, deputy head of the Department of Crop Production, said that the biggest challenge encountering the nation’s durian farming field is building a more stable durian consumption network.

The forum was aimed at gathering suggestions from experts and insiders to increase stability in durian consumption.

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