Yes. Longan can be a surprisingly valuable specialty crop in Central Florida, but the price a grower actually receives depends heavily on whether they sell wholesale, directly to consumers, or into specialty Asian markets.
Current longan pricing
Market
Approx. price
1) U.S. wholesale
$2.54–$3.81/lb
Florida-grown longan, recent reported case price(
$3.75/lb ($75/20-lb case))
Florida direct/specialty retail examples
around $4–$5+/lb
China wholesale
$1.22–$1.83/lb
Vietnam transaction price
~$0.90/lb
Thailand transaction price
~$0.82/lb
China transaction price
~$0.54/lb
The U.S. wholesale figures are recent 2026 data, while the Florida case price is from the 2025 Florida season. Prices can move considerably during the harvest window. �
Tridge +3
One particularly interesting Florida example: in July 2025, Florida longan was reported at about $100 per 20-lb case ($5/lb) at the beginning of the season, falling to roughly $75/case ($3.75/lb) as more fruit became available. �
FreshPlaza
What could a Central Florida grower actually make?
This is where longan gets interesting.
UF/IFAS has an economic study specifically on commercial longan production. Its model estimated:
18,053 marketable lb/acre
$0.53/lb production + marketing cost
$1.50/lb packinghouse selling price
$27,080 gross revenue/acre
$18,851 gross margin/acre after operational and harvesting costs. �
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That study is older, so I wouldn’t use $1.50/lb as today’s expected price. Current U.S. wholesale prices are substantially higher. If a Central Florida grower could achieve the same 18,053-lb/acre marketable yield, the revenue possibilities would look roughly like this:
Grower selling price
Revenue at 18,053 lb/acre
$1.50/lb
$27,080
$2.00/lb
$36,106
$2.50/lb
$45,133
$3.00/lb
$54,159
$3.75/lb
$67,699
$4.00/lb
$72,212
$5.00/lb
$90,265
But there is a big caveat: 18,053 lb/acre should be viewed as a commercial benchmarrk, not a guaranteed Central Florida yield. Longan is notorious for irregular flowering and fruiting. UF/IFAS says mature trees can range from about 50 to more than 500 lb/tree, and some years may produce little or no fruit. �
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What I’d consider realistic for Central Florida
If you’re thinking about this as a small commercial operation, I’d model it more conservatively:
10,000 lb/acre × $3/lb = $30,000 gross
15,000 lb/acre × $3.50/lb = $52,500 gross
18,000 lb/acre × $3.75/lb = $67,500 gross
Those are gross sales, before picking, grading, packaging, transportation, losses, fertilizer, irrigation, pest management, land, labor, etc.
And there’s an important opportunity here: direct-to-consumer sales can potentially be much more profitable than selling the entire crop to a packinghouse.
For example, selling 5,000 lb directly at $5/lb generates $25,000 by itself, while another 10,000 lb sold wholesale at $2/lb generates another $20,000—$45,000 total gross from 15,000 lb.
Central Florida has another advantage
Longan is already a commercial crop in Florida, particularly South Florida, and mature trees can tolerate temperatures down into roughly the mid-20s °F, although young trees are considerably more vulnerable. �
What’s Happening Around Florida
So site selection is extremely important in Central Florida. A warm microclimate, good drainage, irrigation and protection from freezes could make a substantial difference.
If you’re considering growing longan commercially…
I think the more useful question isn’t simply “What does longan cost?” It’s:
“If I planted 1 acre of longan in Central Florida, how much could I realistically make after expenses?”