Dragon fruit shipments from Vietnam to the US, UK, and Germany have experienced a significant increase in the first four months of the year. Despite a slight decline in total exports, the proportion of dragon fruit in Vietnam’s export fruit basket has increased due to a decrease in exports to China, the main market. The demand for Vietnamese dragon fruit has been on the rise in Western countries due to factors such as uniform fruit size and weight. With global dragon fruit supplies affected by El Nino, Vietnamese goods have seen an opportunity to capture new markets.
In the first four months of 2023, Vietnam’s dragon fruit exports reached 230 million USD, which is a decrease of 7.5% compared to the same period last year. Exports to China, along with Hong Kong and Japan, experienced declines in dragon fruit imports from Vietnam. However, exports to other countries such as the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, and India have seen a surge. Exports to Germany and the UK increased by 2.3-2.7 times respectively reaching 786 thousand USD and over 1 million USD respectively while the US saw an increase of over 102% in dragon fruit exports. India increased by 33%.
The sudden increase in exports to new markets is a positive sign for Vietnamese dragon fruit producers as it suggests that there is growing demand for their products globally. However, despite this growth there have been challenges faced by producers due to climate change effects which led decreased supply of global dragonfruit supplies affecting prices negatively . Currently white-fleshed dragonfruit prices have increased to 14 thousand VND per kg while red intestine dragonfruit prices range from 30 thousand VND per kg -43 thousand VND per kg .
According industry experts , The hot weather and strong winds in Binh Thuan province ,the largest dragonfruit growing area in Vietnam ,have led higher yields but decreased quality due challenges faced during growing season . Despite these challenges ,the outlook for Vietnamese dragonfruit exports remains positive due
