The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT) has just issued an urgent notice, expressing strong opposition to the situation where some subjects have taken advantage of fraud and illegally copied the codes of growing areas and packing facilities for exported durian.

Specifically, the subjects used authorization contracts using codes with fake and homemade seals and signatures to defraud businesses and bypass authorities for profit and customs clearance to export to the Chinese market.

This serious violation not only directly affects the reputation of the Vietnamese durian industry, causing a loss of confidence among Chinese and international consumers, but also causes great damage to the interests of genuine durian producers and businesses, VINAFRUIT warned.

Because when fraud is detected, the authorities of the importing country can tighten control over Vietnamese durian. This affects the export activities of enterprises because the code is revoked by China for violating quality regulations.

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Durian exports to the Chinese market continue to increase strongly. Photo: Manh Khuong

Furthermore, fraudulent behavior also creates unfair competition in the market, causing damage to durian production and trading enterprises that comply with regulations.

Therefore, the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association recommends that relevant authorities strengthen inspection and close supervision of durian packaging and export facilities, and strictly handle violations. At the same time, strengthen cooperation with authorities of importing countries to jointly combat trade fraud.

Along with that, it is necessary to complete the database of growing area codes and packaging facility codes to facilitate management and traceability of products.

VINAFRUIT proposes to publicize the list of durian production and packaging facilities that meet standards, helping consumers choose reliable products. Enterprises that have violated the law by illegally copying codes to export durian should also be made public with the forms of handling...

The Association calls on businesses and durian producers to join hands to protect the reputation of the "billion-dollar" industry and strictly comply with legal regulations.

According to information from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, total durian output in 2024 is estimated at 1.45 million tons, a sharp increase of 21.2% over last year.

Currently, China is the largest import market for Vietnamese durian, accounting for more than 90% of the total export turnover of this item of our country.

Statistics up to the end of November 2024 show that Vietnam's durian exports earned more than 3.13 billion USD, up 44.3% over the same period last year. This is also a record high for this "billion-dollar" industry.

However, this increase in output and export value is facing the risk of stagnation due to trade violations.

Previously, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu - Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), said that every year China imports fresh durian worth 7 billion USD and this figure is expected to exceed 10 billion USD in the next few years. This country also imports 1 billion USD of frozen durian and is expected to increase rapidly in the coming time.

However, recently, some Vietnamese enterprises have not been aware of complying with the Protocol signed between the two countries, causing many technical violations when exporting durian to the Chinese market.

“If we do not rectify and raise awareness of compliance with regulations, China will take action. This is unfortunate, because just a few businesses violate the law, the whole industry will be affected,” Mr. Hieu pointed out.

After discovering that many pesticide residues exceeded the permitted threshold, the EU increased the frequency of inspections of Vietnamese durian.