Dragon fruit is a "cheap" fruit in Vietnam and is considered a "super fruit" and sought after by the world for its many health benefits, especially in China. Assessments show that demand for dragon fruit is increasing worldwide, especially in new markets outside Asia. This demand depends heavily on product marketing (especially information about dragon fruit's health effects), price reductions, and improved sweetness of dragon fruit.
The attraction of Vietnamese dragon fruit in China
Dragon fruit is being sold at a “cheap as for” price in Vietnam. Recorded in mid-May in the dragon fruit capital of Binh Thuan, the selling price is only at 9000 – 11,000 VND/kg, slightly higher to 12,000 – 18,000 VND/kg is a beautiful dragon fruit for export.
But in the world, this fruit is known as a “super fruit” because of the benefits it brings to human health, such as helping to fight chronic diseases, fighting cancer cells, improve digestion, control diabetes…
This fruit is especially popular in the Chinese market of billions of people. 90% of China’s imported dragon fruit is Vietnamese dragon fruit, only a few are imported from Taiwan island (China) and some other countries.
China also has a large-scale dragon fruit growing area, but Chinese products are not as sweet and cool as Vietnamese dragon fruits because our country’s dragon fruits are grown in tropical areas, with plenty of sunshine and suitable soil.
Therefore, Vietnamese dragon fruit is very popular in the Chinese market, especially red flesh dragon fruit because the people of this country like the color red.
In Chinese supermarkets, the price of Vietnamese red flesh dragon fruit is much higher than that of Chinese dragon fruit, but it is still popular with consumers in neighboring countries.
Vietnamese red flesh dragon fruit is sold at supermarkets in China for 40-50 yuan (about 160,000 – 180,000 VND/kg) while Chinese dragon fruit is only about 95,000 – 105,000 VND/kg .
According to China Daily (China), the country’s demand for high-quality dragon fruit products is increasing, of which Vietnam is the largest source of imports.
According to data of Guangxi TWT – a large fruit import company based in Nanning city (Guangxi province, China) and specializing in importing Vietnamese dragon fruit, Vietnam’s dragon fruit export turnover in 2021 about 1.04 billion USD dragon fruit, up to 925.5 million USD goes to the Chinese market.
Meanwhile, in Australia, the emerging market of Vietnamese dragon fruit, this fruit has been present in many large supermarket chains.
Vietnamese dragon fruit not only meets the strictest import conditions in the world in terms of biosecurity, but is also rated 5 stars by Australians on the online shopping site of Woolworths – the largest supermarket chain of this country.
The world’s largest dragon fruit supplier
According to dragonfruit.net.vn, Vietnam is currently the world’s largest supplier of dragon fruits, accounting for the highest market share in Asia, Europe and sometimes even the US. Meanwhile, Thailand and Israel are the second and third largest suppliers in the European market.
Vkoill Company Limited, a dragon grower and exporter from Vietnam, has been supplying dragon fruit with the most fresh, stable grade 1 quality and at favorable prices.
In the US, Mexico and Central – South American countries are the biggest competitors of Asian dragon fruit suppliers due to geographical advantages. Among them, Colombia’s yellow dragon fruit is prized for its taste and appearance, as they are the sweetest and most vibrant of the dragon fruit varieties. This type of dragon fruit is also different from the Vietnamese dragon fruit, usually in November to February every year.
Ms. Laura Strever – an expert who attended the program – said: “This is a very strange fruit, very vibrant, interesting and attractive. Moreover, it is also very ‘flexible’. You can eat it. Fresh, juiced and used in more complex recipes than other products… These characteristics make dragon fruit salable in the market and consumers have started to add it. their shopping cart.”
Meanwhile, other experts attending the program said that dragon fruit can become one of the most popular fruits worldwide if there is an appropriate direction and consumer orientation on health benefits of this “super fruit”.