Red-fleshed dragon fruit is being sold at around VND38,000 per kg and white-fleshed dragon fruit VND25,000 per kg, triple the price from the same period last year, after China eased trade restrictions related to COVID-19.

At farms in Cho Gao District in Tien Giang Province, the price of red-fleshed dragon fruit is VND38,000 per kg (for type 1 – the best quality); VND28,000-32,000 (for type 2); and VND23,000-25,000 (for type 3).

In Binh Thuan Province, the price of white-fleshed dragon fruit is between VND18,000-25,000 per kg, also triple from the same period last year.

A leader of the Thuan Tien Cooperative in Binh Thuan Province’s Ham Thuan Bac District said China is Viet Nam’s main export market, accounting for 90 per cent of dragon fruit exports, so when it resumed border trading, it helped increase prices.

Since January, Chinese customs has no longer required goods to be tested for COVID-19 at border gates with Viet Nam and it has also lifted all other pandemic measures.

Last year, China tightened the preventive measures for people, vehicles and goods packaging, causing customs clearance to become much slower than normal at border gates. This also caused a sharp decrease in agricultural prices, including dragon fruits, and farmers faced huge losses.

Nguyen Quoc Thinh, chairman of the Dragon Fruit Association of Long An Province, said in addition to the Chinese market, it was important to step up promotion to diversify export markets.

He added it was also vital to develop the domestic market through supermarket chains to reduce dependence on China.

Viet Nam’s exports to China reached $119.3 billion last year, up 8 per cent year-on-year, while imports increased 4.5 per cent to $58.4 billion.

Viet Nam grows around 1.4 million tonnes of dragon fruit a year, more than 60 per cent of it in the second half of the year. — VNS