Hanoi (VNA)𒁃 – The export of durianand coconut is expected to hit 1 billion USD this year thanks to increasingdemand from China, according to experts.

Hong Kong-based newspaper South China MorningPost recently run an article “China’s Vietnamese durian imports seenpushing total demand for fruit to nearly 1 million tonnes a year” whichhighlights that durian has rapidly become the most popular imported fruit inChina, cities bordering Vietnam are stepping up logistics to ensure freshsupplies can reach any Chinese city in one to three days. The article also saidthat Thailand has dominated the durian market in China for years, and now otherSoutheast Asian countries are cashing in. Since Beijing opened its doors to fresh durian from Vietnam last September, as many as 293 planting areas and 115 packingunits in Vietnam have received codes to export to China. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of theVietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT), said that China’s codegranting to Vietnamese growers and packagers is a very favourable condition forVietnamese durian to enter China. As Thailand is entering harvest timeand selling its durian at 55,000-70,000 VND (2.34-2.98 USD) per kilo, Vietnamese durian cancompete and expand the market, durian exporters told Thanh Nien (Young People)newspaper.  In the last three months of 2022, Vietnamshipped a total of 40,800 tonnes of durian to China and generated a revenue of188 million USD. The success of Vietnamese durian in theworld’s second-largest economy is attributed to the fact that the market waspreviously dominated by Thai durian, with high prices and short harvest times. Vietnamese durian has been able to addresssuch drawbacks with longer harvest times, more affordable prices, shorttransport distances, and a particularly delicious taste. Nguyen said that with such advantages, durianexports are likely to hit 1 billion USD this year – the first year the fruitenters the Chinese market via the official channel. Meanwhile, authorities in Vietnam and Chinaare constructively negotiating for Vietnamese coconut to enter China, also viaofficial channels. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam has about 188,000 ha of coconut with a production of 1.9million tonnes last year. Coconut and coconut related products brought homeover 900 USD last year. It’s promising that the coconut industry canjoin the “one-million-USD” club soon, especially when the fruit can be exportedto China via the official channel, Nguyen said. The production of fresh coconut, also known as“tourism coconut”, is increasing in the last few years thanks to new varietieswith higher productivity, while the demand for processed (dried)coconut is also increasing in the world. Nguyen Van Thu, chairman of GC Food JointStock Company, said that the company is planning to double its production ofcoconut jelly for export in the next two years. Thu said that as consumers increasingly prefernatural healthy products, coconut is more and more welcomed, enjoying a highpotential to grow in the coming time./.