The Donatechno company based in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Nai has signed a contract to export some 300 tonnes of Dona hybrid durian to the US this year.

The company director Nguyen Phu Cuong said it was the second year his company has won the contract for durian exports with its US partners, which have shown long term interest in the fruit.

He added that durian is now being grown on over 6,000 farms in Dong Nai province, which are expected to yield some 2,000 tonnes this year.

The company has disbursed over 30 billion VND (1.59 million USD) as start-up investments for farmers, mostly ethnic minority groups in remote areas, to specialise in growing the fruit for the company, Cuong said.

Donatechno first exported durian to the world’s largest economy with the shipment of 15 tonnes in 2009.

The company shipped 20 tonnes of the fruit to the world’s most populous market, China , in 2008./.