Pham Van Hoang, who owns 70 mangosteen trees in Binh Duong, reported a harvest of about 5 tons this year, a 20% increase over the previous year. However, the joy of a good harvest is not matched by selling prices.

According to Hoang, mangosteen prices were already 20-25% lower than last year at the start of the season. Over the past month, prices have continued to plummet, now standing at around 20,000 VND per kg at the farm.

"If we consider the entire season, my family has almost no profit this year because fertilizer and labor costs have both increased", Hoang stated.

Mangosteen from a farmer's garden in former Binh Duong (now TP HCM). *Photo: Thi Ha*

In Dong Nai, Thanh's family, with a mangosteen garden of over 1,5 hectares, faces a similar situation. At the beginning of the season, the family sold to clean fruit stores for about 65,000 VND per kg, while traders purchased for approximately 40,000 VND. However, by the final harvests two weeks ago, the price had dropped to only 22,000 VND per kg.

"At the start of the season, we thought we would make a profit this year, but prices fell too quickly by mid-season, so after deducting costs, we only made a few tens of millions of VND", Thanh shared.

The price drop is not isolated to a few gardens but is widespread across many mangosteen-growing regions in the South as the market enters its peak harvest period.

Vu Van Hoa, a mangosteen trader in the Lai Thieu area (TP HCM), reported that current farm-gate bulk purchase prices are the lowest ever.

According to Hoa, this year's volume is significantly higher than in previous years. Each day, he purchases several tons of mangosteen from local farmers, an increase of about 30-40% compared to last year. Meanwhile, consumption has not risen proportionally, causing purchase prices to continuously decline.

At the Hoc Mon, Thu Duc, and Binh Dien wholesale markets, the volume of mangosteen arriving has sharply increased recently. Current wholesale prices range from 33,000-35,000 VND per kg for large varieties and 30,000-32,000 VND for smaller ones, a decrease of about 10% compared to the same period last year.

Wholesalers indicated that favorable weather led to a high fruit set rate and a significant increase in yield. The quality of domestic mangosteen is good, and its competitive price means it now accounts for most of the consumed volume, significantly replacing imports from Thailand.

According to Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, mangosteen is not an isolated case. This year, favorable weather has contributed to high yields for many fruit varieties in the southern provinces, including durian, mango, dragon fruit, and avocado.

Rapidly increasing supply, coupled with stagnant purchasing power, has led to a general decline in prices for many fruit types. "The drop in mangosteen prices during the peak harvest season is a development consistent with the market's supply and demand laws", Nguyen stated.

Retail prices have also cooled down accordingly. At many fruit stores in TP HCM, small mangosteens are sold for about 35,000 VND per kg, while large ones range from 45,000-60,000 VND. Along many roads in TP HCM and Tay Ninh, this fruit is available for 40,000-50,000 VND per kg.

Thi Ha