On May 15, Mr. Le Van Thiet, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, shared his expectations about expanding the durian consumption market to India, a country with a population of one billion people.

Currently, China is the largest market for Vietnamese durian. However, relying too much on a single market always carries risks. Therefore, the opening of the Indian market is good news for the Vietnamese durian industry. Mr. Thiet said that Vietnam has submitted documents and is waiting for India to consider signing a protocol to start exporting durian to this country.

According to Mr. Thiet, India does not have as strict regulations as China and the cost of shipping by sea is also cheaper, so this is a potential market. However, the process of negotiating to open the market will require time and effort from both sides.

Mr. Thiet also emphasized the importance of maintaining and improving durian quality, controlling quality and harmful microorganisms, and managing growing area codes to avoid violations, which is especially important in the context of warnings from China.

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, shared that durian exports in the first 4 months of 2024 reached 500 million USD, an increase of 30% over the same period in 2023, largely thanks to the Chinese market.

Mr. Nguyen commented that China has always been the leading market for Vietnamese fruit, and Vietnamese durian has a big advantage thanks to its ability to produce durian off-season, something that Thailand has not been able to do.

Forecasting China's demand for durian, Mr. Nguyen said the figure could reach 3 billion USD, while in 2023, China spent 2.1 billion USD to import nearly 500,000 tons of durian from Vietnam.

Ms. Ngo Tuong Vy, CEO of Chanh Thu Fruit Import-Export Corporation, said that market expansion is very important, but the decisive factor is still the quality of Vietnamese durian. Ms. Vy believes that if good quality is maintained, Vietnamese durian will attract many potential markets in the future.

Expanding the market to India not only brings great opportunities for the Vietnamese durian industry but also contributes to reducing dependence on the Chinese market, opening up prospects for sustainable development and diversifying consumption sources for this important agricultural product.