China allows more durian from Vietnam as surging trade underpins new ‘codependency’ in ties
- More than 99 per cent of Vietnam’s durian exports went to China last year, and the Southeast Asian country is expected to ship US$3.5 billion of the fruit in 2024
- Demand for durian in China is so great that the market appears far from saturated, and among countries capable of meeting that demand, the race is on
Vietnam’s durian exports to China this year are expected to expand in value by two-thirds over 2023 following permission from Beijing to let more of the Southeast Asian country’s pungent, lucrative fruit reach a still-unsaturated market.
China has approved taking durian shipments from 27 more tracts of land in Binh Phuoc, an inland province north of Ho Chi Minh City, after the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association trade group had estimated that the value of all durian exports from Vietnam would swell to US$3.5 billion this year.
Those 27 tracts cover 701.5 hectares (1,733 acres) and can yield up to 14,030 tonnes of durians annually, the Chinese embassy in Vietnam said on Monday. In a statement on its website, the embassy added that China now allows durians from 65 tracts in Binh Phuoc, spanning 2,412 hectares.
Vietnam shipped US$2.1 billion worth of durian to China last year, and that figure had soared from just US$188.1 million in 2022. China allowed fresh Vietnamese durians in 2021 after the fruit met phytosanitary requirements.
Chinese consumers prize durians as high-end treats and frequently gift them for special occasions. A single durian can sell for 100 to 200 yuan (US$14 to US$28).
Durian exports from Thailand and Vietnam dominate the Chinese market, but China is nurturing a young domestic crop, Malaysia is seeking a durian trade deal with China, and the Philippines is expanding production of the fruit.
“The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association expresses optimism toward prospects for the Chinese market for durian exports,” the VietnamPlus news outlet said in a February 25 report on the trade group’s export-value estimate for the year.