Good prices for off seasonal fruits in the Mekong Delta region

As the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled with better transportation, fruits in the Mekong Delta region have gotten good prices again.

Offseason durian can be sold at good prices now. Photo: MK.

Many fruit growers in the Mekong Delta provinces suffered losses as strict social distancing measures were implemented in the last three months – the main harvest time for many fruits in the region. However, some growers adjusted harvest time and now gained profits with their offseason fruits.

Manh Khương, a fruit supplier in the southern city of Can Thơ said that there was a high demand for durian for domestic market and export.

Only skilful durian growers in Ngũ Hiệp Island, Cai Lay District in the southern province of Tien Giang could provide tasty durians at this time.

Wholesalers now pay VND 70,000 -75,000 for a kilo of durian without careful selection. First-class durian weighing about 1.5- 4.5 kg per fruit costs up to VND 90,000. However, the retail price in the domestic market is VND 120,000 -140,000 per kilo.

Durian which is selected carefully costs up to VND 500,000 per kilo.

Tasty durian like Ri6 or Monthong is exported to Canada while frozen durian is exported to markets where fresh fruit is not accepted such as Australia, Korea, and the United States. The price of frozen durian flesh is four times higher than that of fresh fruit.

Export companies ordered wholesalers to supply fruits from the southwestern provinces a lot. However, until the 10th lunar month, more off-season custard apple, mango and durian will be available.

Fresh fruits traders and gardeners in the Mekong Delta said that the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was the most difficult time ever for them. 

During the social distancing due to the pandemic, harvested fruits could not reach consumers due to disrupted transportation.

As China is a major market that imports Vietnamese fresh fruits, Vietnamese fruit growers are vulnerable to being hit hard when China stops importing the fruits.

In that case, if local growers don’t connect to domestic consumption networks, co-operatives or supermarkets, they will be very worried about the consumption of the fruits.

Moreover, in the Mekong Delta provinces, farmers usually rush to expand growing specific fruits without considering productivity, market demand and authorities’ planning.

Over the past time, longan gardens in the provinces of Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Soc Trang and Can Tho city have been expanded rapidly without accurate statistics of each variety, output and balance with domestic and export market demand. 

Meanwhile, companies that export fresh fruits connected with farmers and cooperatives to develop orchards that implement VietGAP standards or other ones to requirements of importers in the EU, Australia, US or Canada. 

Recently, farmers in the Mekong Delta region have prefered growing tasty fruits like gree dragon fruit, durian and mango.

Farmers are also interested in growing foreign fruits like Taiwanese star apple, custard apple as they are four times more expensive than the local ones.

Taiwanese star apple is now grown in Dong, Phong Dien (Can Tho City), Long Ho (Vinh Long Province), Thap Muoi (Dong Thap Province). However, during the main harvesting time, their prices are usually dropped too.