Vietnam has officially exported the first durians of the year to the Chinese market. The first durians have already arrived this week. According to one trader, the delivery volume is still rather small, so even though Vietnamese durian are cheaper than Thai durian, the difference is minimal.
Vietnamese durian (left) and US Beryl plums (right)
The arrival of Vietnamese durian on the Chinese market has consequences for the sales figures of Thai and Malaysian durian, but the impact is smaller for Malaysian durian. The durian from these three countries have different characteristics. Malaysian durian are treated with liquid nitrogen, which extends their shelf life, and so the price is less vulnerable to market fluctuations. The flavor of the popular Musang King durian does not easily change. Thai durian, however, are more similar to Vietnamese durian. Both are eaten fresh and do not endure storage well.
The delivery volume of Vietnamese durian is still small at the moment, so the price is rather high, which means that Thai durian do not yet suffer the consequences from increased competition. How the market will develop depends on the product quality and market feedback.
Thai honey pomelo
In addition to durian, Thailand also exports honey pomelos. The differences in price and delivery volume were rather big around Mid-Autumn Festival [10 September, 2022], but now the price has come down a lot. Product movement also slowed down.
Yunnan avocado
The production season of Peruvian avocados is almost over. The price was on the rise in the last few weeks, but this week the price slightly fell. Product movement also slowed down.
One trader explained that even though the delivery volume declined, the price had already risen to a level that the market cannot afford, so that is why the price rise stopped and the price even slightly fell. In addition, Yunnan avocados had just entered the market. The price of Yunnan avocados was 15% lower than the peak price of Peruvian avocados. Product movement has now slowed down a bit. One trader said that slow product movement is due to the high price, and because the market takes time to process new products.
Import oranges
One of the most popular imported plums in the Chinese market is currently the US Beryl plum. The price and product quality are both ideal. One trader said that the price of US Beryl plums dropped by 50% after Mid-Autumn Festival, however, product movement also significantly slowed down. Other plum varieties are in even more trouble. One trader explained that the price of plums always drops after Mid-Autumn Festival, and product movement always slows down, but this year the situation is more severe than usual.
Imported apples
The delivery volume of New Zealand apples has steadily grown since late August. However, the market has not yet recovered from the Mid-Autumn Festival, so product movement is quite slow at the moment and the price is rather low. The price of some imported apple varieties dropped by as much as 50%. The price of import oranges, however, remains relatively stable, as does their product movement. The festive period did not have a major impact on the market conditions of imported oranges.
