Vietnamese Durian Farmers Threatened By Climate Change, Saltwater Intrusion

As Southeast Asia battles heatwaves and drought, Vietnamese farmers of the “king of tropical fruits” are increasingly concerned about the lower quality of their harvests as they aim to meet the growing demand from Chinese consumers, Louisa Tang reported recently for Channel News Asia (CNA).

Nearly half of Vietnam’s durian harvest comes from the Mekong Delta. Changing weather patterns and worsening saltwater intrusion there have threatened durian farms in the region.

“The key problem of this durian harvest season is the prolonged drought and seawater intrusion that decreased the yield and quality of Vietnam’s durian farms,” Dr. Vo Huu Thoai, director of the country’s Southern Fruit Institute, told CNA.

“The problem is set to worsen in the coming years if we don’t act fast enough to implement solutions.”

Since China agreed to officially import fresh durians from Vietnam in July 2022, Vietnam’s exports of the thorny fruit have skyrocketed, reaching $2.2 billion last year—a tenfold increase over the previous year.

This has dented Thailand’s dominance as the largest durian exporter to China for more than a decade.

A hectare of a durian farm can generate $70,000 in profits for growers during a good harvest, compared to about $6,000 per year from a hectare of rice or coffee.

Durian exports to China, the biggest market for the fruit, are expected to increase to $3.5 billion this year. However, this rise faces an uncertain future—not just because of climate change but also due to the impact of hydropower dams built on the Mekong River.

Nearly half of Vietnam’s durian harvest comes from the Mekong Delta. Changing weather patterns and worsening saltwater intrusion there have threatened durian farms in the region.

“It’s increasingly difficult to farm durian,” farmer Tran Van Nghia told CNA. “The biggest threat to durians is saltwater. Durian trees are highly susceptible to saltwater,” he said.

Farmers are suffering from the impact of hydropower dams built upstream of the Mekong River that store vast amounts of water, resulting in lower water levels flowing downstream, where Vietnamese farmers grow durian.

This allows seawater to flow deeper into the Mekong—up to 120 km upstream in a bad year—making the water too salty for durian trees, especially during dry seasons.