Dragon fruit is one of those fruits that commands the sort of attention a boring fruit like cantaloupe could only dream of. Its obviously quite exotic looking with its outer pink flesh and vibrant green leaves. Slice it open, and its flesh is just as impressive with white fruit thats bespeckled with tiny black seeds. Even the name says, “Look at me, Im special!” Because of this, dragon fruit has garnered itself the same sort of reputation that has pushed other exotic fruits like pomegranate into the popularity zone.
If you go shopping for some dragon fruit, youll probably notice pretty quickly that its not the cheapest fruit in the produce section. It wont cost you as much as a square watermelon, but its considerably more pricey than bananas too. Whats up with dragon fruits high price, and is this cool looking and mildly sweet fruit even worth it?
It comes from South America and Southeast Asia, so transportation and import fees add to the price. Limited Availability: Dragon fruit has specific growing conditions and isn’t as widely cultivated as other fruits. This limited supply can drive the price up.
There’s a higher demand than supply
The law of supply and demand dictates the cost of nearly every commercial good, and dragon fruit is no different. When you consider the appeal of dragon fruit, its definitely been hyped up over the last decade (via The New York Times). According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, the demand for dragon fruit in the United States exceeds the supply available — thus a higher price at your local fruit stand.
Organic fruits and vegetables also tend to cost more than the run-of-the-mill variety and organic dragon fruit can cost double the price. Shelling out up to $10 for dragon fruit might seem pretty steep, but this doesnt stop fans of it from touting its numerous health benefits.
Dragon fruit is often an import and that can drive up the price
According to the Food Network, this exotic fruit will set you back a pretty penny, and can even sell for as much as $10 each. Thats a lot of dough for a fruit thats not much bigger than an orange. As it turns out, there are likely a few reasons for its high price tag.
First off, the fruit is native to Mexico, Central, and South America, so a lot of it is imported into the United States — although we get most of ours from Vietnam. That alone makes it pricier than a domestic fruit such as red delicious apples. California, Florida, and Hawaii do grow the fruit, but natural disasters such as droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires can really give an economic gut punch to the agricultural industry of those states (via The New York Times). It doesnt help matters that dragon fruits harvest season — June through September — also happens to lead into wildfire and hurricane season (via Agricultural Marketing Resource Center).
The Real Reason Why Dragon Fruit Is So Expensive
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