Top News

Ri6 and Monthong prices have dropped by 20-30% from last year to VND55,000 and VND80,000-90,000 per kilogram, but Black Thorn prices have held firm.

Hoa of HCMC’s Xuan Hoa Ward has bought three Black Thorn durians this month despite the hefty price tag.

“I prefer this type of durian because it has a thinner skin and more pulp,” she says, adding that her family loves its creaminess.

Loan, a fruit seller in the city’s Go Vap Ward, says she occasionally procures 100-200 kilograms of Black Thorn durians, most of which are sold to customers who pre-order.

“For walk-in customers, six to seven out of 10 would ask for Black Thorn. Some leave their contact details and ask me to inform them when stocks arrive.”

The variety sells much faster than Musang King, even though both are considered premium, she adds.

Durian traders have attributed the variety’s high prices to limited supply even in major producing regions like the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta.

Hien, a trader in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, says Black Thorn is sold at VND220,000-240,000 per kilogram at the farm gate.

She gets lots of orders, each for tons of the fruit, but is only able to procure 400-500 kilograms every two to three days from farmers, she says.

“Many growers have only a few (Black Thorn durian) trees, and so procuring the fruit is very difficult.”

Many orchards in the Mekong Delta too have only a few dozen trees of the variety.

Vietnam has around 200,000 hectares under durian, with Black Thorn accounting for a minuscule share, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Vo Tan Loi, chairman of the Dong Thap Durian Association, says Black Thorn durian trees produce high-quality fruit but have much lower yields than other varieties.

A six-year-old Monthong durian tree, for instance, can produce 30-50 fruits a year while Black Thorn yields less than half that amount, he says.

The low yields make farmers reluctant to expand cultivation as higher prices do not necessarily make the variety more profitable, he adds.