'Red alert' for Vietnamese durian

Mr. Vu Duc Con - Chairman of the Dak Lak Durian Association, which has the largest area and output of durian in the country - has just sent a "letter of concern" to the Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy.

In his “letter”, Mr. Con said that China is the main market for Vietnamese fresh fruit, especially durian. After signing the Protocol on plant quarantine, Vietnamese durian will officially be exported to the billion-people market.

Export turnover in 2024 will reach 3.2 billion USD, showing that this is a potential industry that needs investment in planning raw material areas, food safety packaging factories, and transparent export processes with product traceability.

Durian exports are facing many difficulties.

However, since 2024, China has discovered that Vietnamese and Thai durians are contaminated with cadmium. Since then, partners have required 100% of shipments to have cadmium and yellow O test certificates to be cleared through customs. If residues are found, the packaging facility code and growing area will be suspended by China.

The Chairman of the Dak Lak Durian Association said that so far, about 55 durian growing area codes and 61 durian packing facility codes have been revoked. Since September 2023, China has not approved any new growing areas or packing facilities.

The whole country has 150,000 hectares of durian, but currently only about 20% of the area is granted a growing area code.

Regarding the continuous violation of food safety by Vietnamese durian (Cadmium, O-yellow), Tien Giang is the province with many recalled codes. The reason is that Cadmium was found in the soil exceeding the permitted threshold. In addition, Cadmium was also found in organic and inorganic fertilizers.

The practice of buying and selling free codes in the form of "export authorization" at the border gate is being exploited. This makes it impossible for the importing country to trace the origin of products from shipments with incorrect codes. Enterprises and cooperatives whose codes are being exploited do not know, only when they lose their codes do they realize it but have no way to get them back.

In Dak Lak, during the period of strict control by China, trucks from Tien Giang were transported to facilities with codes in Dak Lak. The goods were opened for testing and sampling with the requirement to clearly state the container number, growing area code and packaging facility code. This could have a major impact on codes in other localities.

According to Mr. Con, the Protocol between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the General Administration of Customs of China will expire next July.

Dak Lak has the largest durian area and output in the country, and is about to enter the harvest season in 2025.

The Chairman of the Dak Lak Durian Association recommended that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment review, evaluate the negotiation and re-signing of the protocol, as well as the process of granting and managing codes for growing areas and packaging facilities for exporting agricultural products to China.

According to Mr. Vu Duc Con, it is necessary to consult experts and businesses before signing the protocol to avoid confusion in implementation. In addition, it is necessary to study and develop clear regulations on codes for growing areas and packaging facilities, creating favorable conditions for export and handling violations.

For areas with violations like Tien Giang, Mr. Con suggested that the Plant Protection Department set a red alert zone and improve farming procedures.

This person also proposed to develop standards for durian exports, applying science and technology to check age and food safety (currently only relying on the experience of "typing workers").

So far, China has only approved a few laboratories recommended by the Plant Protection Department to test for gold O and cadmium. To avoid monopoly and the mechanism of asking and giving, Mr. Kun suggested that it is necessary to continue negotiating with China to open more laboratories for businesses to choose from.

Source TPO

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/bao-dong-do-sau-rieng-viet-nam-a190343.html