Fresh Vietnamese pineapples gain customs clearance, border trade will shift towards formal export

The agreement marks a new milestone in agricultural trade between the two countries, with four protocols already signed this year for products such as chilies, passion fruit, rice bran, and edible bird's nest. The General Administration of Customs of China emphasized that China has committed to opening its market to high-quality Vietnamese agricultural products, while Vietnam reiterated its focus on promoting cooperation in agriculture and environmental fields.

Fresh durian is a traditional Vietnamese export product to China, and this protocol will standardize its trade process, helping to reduce trade risks, meet strict quality standards, and support the expansion of durian cultivation in accordance with good agricultural practices.

Nguyen Van Muoi, Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (Vinafruit), said, "Vietnam has long exported durian to China, but mainly through informal border trade channels, leading to extremely unstable prices, with frequent price drops during the harvest season. Vietnam currently has about 84,000 hectares of durian plantations, with an annual production of over 1 million tons, but the export value of durian in 2024 is only about $146 million. Due to the majority of exports being through informal channels, it is actually very difficult to obtain complete statistical data."

Durian growers in Phuoc Hoa District, Can Tho City, Dao Van Luom, revealed that durian prices have remained low throughout the year. The continuous rainy season has further increased cultivation and management costs. When the harvest season arrived, there were even instances where prices were too low for growers to be willing to harvest, and even peeled ready-to-eat fruit went unsold. Currently, the purchase price for first-grade fruit weighing over 9 kilograms is less than 10,000 Vietnamese dong (about 2.8 Chinese yuan) per kilogram; second-grade fruit is only 7,000 Vietnamese dong; and market tail goods of poor quality are as low as 1,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram.

According to data from the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, from January to October 2025, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable export value was nearly $7.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 15.1%, with the Chinese market accounting for 62.9% of the total. The signing of the durian export protocol to China is expected to further drive industry growth and help achieve the annual export target of $8.5 billion.