The huge demand for durian in the Chinese market is changing the farming choices of many farmers in central Vietnam. "Growing coffee can support a family, while growing durian can lead to wealth," according to a report by the Singapore-based Lianhe Zaobao on August 31. As more durian is entering the Chinese market, more local coffee farmers are switching to growing durian, with some earning several times more per year as a result.
Central Vietnam is an important coffee-producing region in the world, with its coffee accounting for about one-sixth of global production. Thanks to its suitable climate and fertile land, Vietnam has long been the second-largest producer of coffee beans in the world, after Brazil.
However, in recent years, durian fruits with higher profits have attracted more and more farmers. Data from the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture shows that over the past 10 years, the area dedicated to durian cultivation has increased by more than five times, reaching 200,000 hectares.
August 15th, in Daly Province, Vietnam, a woman was riding a motorcycle loaded with durians through an orchard. Visual China
Fan Chunlin, a 56-year-old farmer from Dalai Province, is one of them. He began experimenting with diversified planting 20 years ago and now owns 400 durian trees, with an annual production of about 60 tons. He estimates that planting durians this year will earn him $76,000, while if he only planted coffee, his annual income would be only about $10,000.
"With the help of durian, I bought my child a car and a house, and also built a villa for our family," said Fan Chunlin.
Behind this surge in the demand for durian is the rapidly expanding Chinese market. Vietnam officially entered the Chinese fresh durian market on a large scale after signing relevant trade agreements in 2022. Last year, Vietnam surpassed Thailand, which had long been the dominant supplier of durian in China, becoming the largest source of durian in China. In last year, China’s imports of fresh durian valued nearly $7.5 billion, an increase of nearly 12 times compared to 2015.
This year, Vietnam’s durian exports are expected to reach $4 billion, a significant increase from the $180 million in 2021. Approximately 90% of these exports are sold to China. During the harvest season from August to October, large trucks full of durians can be seen on the roads in Da Lat Province.
However, rapid expansion also brings concerns. The Vietnamese government warned earlier this month that a surge in planting areas could lead to oversupply and a decline in quality. A 42-year-old farmer named A Xiong changed all his coffee plantations to grow durian five years ago, but due to difficulties meeting export quality standards, he planted coffee back two years ago. “I failed,” he said. “I will never grow durian again.”
