HANOI: The export value of Vietnamese durian hit US$1.63 billion in the first nine months of 2023, making durian the biggest foreign currency earner in Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable industry, Xinhua quoted a Vietnam news agency report Wednesday.

The cited number was 14 times higher than the figure for the same period last year, according to the General Department of Customs.

Durian has surpassed jackfruit, dragon fruit, watermelon, banana and lychee to gain the leading position, accounting for 38.7 per cent of the industry’s total export value.

China is currently Vietnam’s main durian export market. Vietnam has 422 growing areas and 153 packaging facilities eligible to export the fruit to China.

According to the General Department of Customs, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports in the first nine months of this year reached 4.21 billion dollars, an increase of 72.5 per cent over the same period last year. -Bernama