As cheaper Vietnamese durians flood Thai market, expert urges govt to act
Thailand’s lucrative durian market is currently being penetrated by a spike in imports from Vietnam that are cheaper by nearly 100 baht per kilogram, Intelligence Research Consultant Co Ltd (IRC) said on Friday, urging the government to support Thai farmers to prepare for future competition.
Imported fruits from Vietnam incur low transport cost via Cambodia to Thailand’s eastern border, and Vietnamese durians could jolt the Thai market in the next two years, Aat Pisanwanich, a consultant at IRC, warned.
He quoted statistics from Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (Vinafruit) as saying that in the first four months of 2024, Thailand had imported durians worth 780 million baht from Vietnam, a jump of 82% year on year.
The reason behind the sudden popularity of Vietnamese durians is that they are cheaper than Thai durians, he said. The Ri6 durians, or the so-called “Vietnamese Mon Thong”, retailed at 107-112 baht per kg, while the Thai variety cost around 150-200 baht per kg.
Aat explained a 40% decline in domestic output this year amid the increasing demand for durians in the Thai market was prompting sellers to turn to imports to fill the gap.
“If the drought situation persists or worsens, in the next two years we will see more durians from Vietnam being sold in Thai markets and taking away market share from Thai producers,” he said.
Aat urged the government to pre-empt such a situation by revamping water resource management to ensure that Thai durian farmers have enough water for cultivation.
“If no action is taken, Thai consumers would switch to buying cheaper durians from Vietnam, just like the current situation in which cheaper Chinese products were dominating Thai markets,” he warned.
