Vietnam's Monthong durian is at the end of the season, and the market arrival volume is small, while the quality is not as good as before. Vietnam's Kanyao has been on the market since November to take over the durian market, and the production season lasts for more than two months.
"This season, Vietnam's Monthong arrived in large quantities but of varying quality, causing market price fluctuations. However, prices at the origin remained at a high level and declined slowly. There was a period of time when the market situation was good. Due to frequent problems such as durian fruit worms in southern Thailand, Vietnamese durians were on the market at that time and the quality was relatively stable. Therefore, many merchants turned to purchasing Vietnamese durians, causing the market to rise." Ms. Zheng Suhua, from Changsha Longyuan Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. said.
Longyuan Agriculture specializes in imported fruits from Southeast Asia and has more than ten years of experience in the durian market.
Regarding quality issues, according to Zheng, one of the important reasons is the surge in the number of individuals involved in the business and the entry of many novices, resulting in excessive volume but lax quality control: "Vietnamese durian has a promising future after entering the Chinese market. Some companies that originally grew Vietnamese dragon fruit, jackfruit, and bananas have transformed into durian businesses. There are also many novices who were not originally in the fresh food industry. At the same time, there is also a large amount of capital flowing into the Vietnamese durian market. The number of people involved in the durian business is growing rapidly, and they are rushing to the production areas to "grab" the fruits, resulting in the starting price in the production areas being too high."
"Due to the lack of relevant experience by novices and the desire of some merchants to seize the market as early as possible, durian ripeness, picking time, and quality control are not strict, resulting in uneven quality. For example, when durians are only 60-70% ripe, if rush to pick them, and the chance of fruits that cannot be ripe increases. In addition, the number of durian processing factories in Vietnam has also surged, from dozens last year to hundreds this year. Many factories are competing for supply and neglecting quality. When durians arrived at the market, the quantity was large but the quality was not ideal, resulting in cargo congestion and an upside-down market."
Ms. Zheng Suhua and her durians
Vietnam Kanyao, which is about to take over the market, has arrived in small quantities. According to Zheng, although the overall taste of Kanyao is not as good as that of Monthong, it has a lower rate of fruits that fail to ripen and a lower after-sales risk.
Zheng is confident about the quality of Kanyao in the new season: "After the rainy season, the production area has had a long sunshine time and good weather conditions. The quality of Kanyao is expected to be ideal and can be sold with confidence." In addition to the weather conditions, Zheng said that the quality of fruits is also related to factory processing and quality control. "We have factories that we have cooperated with for many years to ensure quality, and the durians are picked only when they are ripe enough to meet the standard."
According to Zheng, Kanyao will be launched in large quantities around November 15, and the volume entering the Chinese market is about two to three hundred containers or more per day. Talking about the direction of the new season, Zheng said: “The output of this season is less than the previous time, and prices have gone up recently due to the low arrivals. But when the volume of cherries increases in mid-November, and when sea-shipped cherries arrive later, durian will be affected, sales and prices will decline, and the price may be only half of the current price."
Longyuan Agriculture uses "Longyuan" as its brand. Its products include durian, dragon fruit, mangosteen, and young coconut. It has a liquid nitrogen factory in Pingxiang. In addition, the products sold also include high-quality domestic fruits. The company has stalls in Changsha, Wuhan, and Shantou wholesale markets, and a team in the Xinjiang market.
