W19: Jackfruit Update

In W19 in the jackfruit landscape, in Q1 of 2023, the Vietnamese export value of fruit and vegetables increased 19.4% YoY to USD 1.36B. The main surge was in the exports of Vietnamese bananas, durian, and jackfruit, mainly to China and Laos. According to the Vietnam Trade Counsellor in Canada, the reduction in Vietnamese exports to Canada in 2023 and in the upcoming years is an unavoidable tendency. Several South American nations have recently started to heavily invest in producing tropical fruit trees that are comparable to those in Vietnam, such as jackfruit, mango, lychee, rambutan, custard apple, dragon fruit, and mangosteen, and to encourage exports to Canada, raising competition. Lastly, the cultivation of Dang Surya, a red jackfruit variety of Malaysian origin, in Karnataka, India's coastal region, appears promising and suitable for both the wet (coastal) and dry belts. Other red varieties, such as Siddu and Shankara, grown in the dry belt do not yield fruit in the wet belt. In addition, the fruit bulbs are crispy, solid, thick, and tasty, with a thin middle core and outer skin. The fruit also has more edible portions and less wastage content, adding value. Moreover, the Dang Surya type has not yet developed any disease, whereas the J-33 variety, another Malaysian variety, has contracted sickness and perished