Vietnam’s durian export value reached more than US$500 million in the first five months, an increase of more than 18 times against the same period last year.

According to the General Department of Customs, during the period, vegetable and fruit exports stayed at $2.03 billion, up 43% over the same period last year.

The main contributor to the increase in Vietnam’s farm exports was durian.

In May, the export value of durian reached the highest level ever, at $332 million, more than 10 times higher than the previous month.

In the first five months, durian export value hit $503.4 million, more than 18 times higher than the same period last year. Among the import markets, China was the biggest buyer with a value of $477 million.

China controls its technical barriers for food safety and hygiene, but the quality of Vietnamese goods has increasingly improved and consumers favor their competitive prices, a representative of a fruit and vegetable export company in HCMC, who wants to stay unnamed, told VnExpress.

Vietnam currently has 293 farming areas and 115 durian packing facilities granted with official codes to export to China.

In May, Vietnamese durian entered its harvest season, contributing to increasing export volume and value.

Two weeks ago, some 700 trucks, most of them carrying durian, were stuck trying to enter China from Vietnam’s Lang Son Province, prompting Vietnamese authorities to negotiate with their Chinese counterparts to solve the congestion.

China has agreed to extend the working time for customs clearance of farm products from Vietnam by two more hours to 10 p.m. (Hanoi time).

VnExpress