Binh Thuans dragon fruit receives price boost following customs clearance

The price of dragon fruit in the south-central province of Binh Thuan during the harvest season has bounced back following several days of falling prices.

At present, the special fruit is being purchased by traders at between VND8,000 and VND12,000 VND per kilo.

An issue that has been hampering the trade of the fruit in recent days is the congestion of several hundred containers of dragon fruit at the border gate due to technical problems with electronic customs clearance.

This issue has now been resolved with customs clearance gates also returning to normal, according to Do Minh Kinh, Director of Binh Thuan Department of Industry and Trade.

Currently, the price of dragon fruit has increased slightly with the item now selling for between VND8,000 and VND10,000 per kilo, or even VND12,000 per kilo, according to the owner of a dragon fruit garden in Ham Thuan Bac district.

Last week, hundreds of shipping containers transporting dragon fruit from Binh Thuan to China were jammed at the nation’s northern border gate, causing prices to drop to between VND5,000 and VND7,000 per kilo.

According to local growers, they are only able to make a profit if dragon fruit is sold at between 8,000 and VND10,000 per kilo due to the high costs of fertilisers and pesticides. 

Binh Thuan province is home to 30,000 hectares of dragon fruit farmland, making it the largest area nationwide that grows the fruit.

Dragon fruits are mainly exported to China through unofficial channels, while a small amount of the special fruit is exported to demanding markets such as the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia.

For many years, dragon fruit is the key agricultural product of Binh Thuan province, which has contributed to helping local farmers escape poverty.