Reasons why 30 shipments of durian exported to China were warned

China's durian imports from Vietnam increased by more than 1,000% in volume and value. In 2023, the market share of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables in the Chinese market will nearly double.

The Plant Protection Department ( Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ) has just issued a document requesting the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang, Lang Son, Dong Nai, Dak Lak, Hanoi provinces and related businesses and agencies to trace the exported durian shipments that China has warned about.

Lý do 30 lô hàng sầu riêng xuất khẩu sang Trung Quốc bị cảnh báo

The document stated that the Plant Protection Department received a warning from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Department, General Administration of Customs of China, about 30 shipments of Vietnamese durian exported to China being contaminated with heavy metal cadmium exceeding the food safety regulations of this country.

At the request of the General Administration of Customs of China and Vietnam's regulations on food safety traceability for warned shipments, the Plant Protection Department requests that businesses with violating shipments must comply with regulations on traceability, recall and handling of unsafe food under the management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In addition, businesses must investigate the cause, trace the warned shipments, review all records, production, collection and export processes of the business (provide the shipment collection contract, list of collection facilities, gardens supplying the shipment, list of pesticides and fertilizers used in the gardens supplying the shipment);

The organization shall take corrective actions and apply preventive measures to avoid recurrence of violations. Then, submit a report of the results to the Plant Protection Department before April 1, 2024.

The Plant Protection Department requested the Department of Food Safety of Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang, Lang Son, Dong Nai, Dak Lak and Hanoi provinces to direct specialized agencies to urge and supervise businesses to trace the warned shipments.

Along with that, verify the report on the cause of the warned shipment and the business's remedial measures; review the conditions for ensuring food safety at food production and trading establishments with warned shipments according to the provisions of law.

The report with related documents must be sent to the Plant Protection Department to have a basis for responding to the General Administration of Customs of China before April 3, 2024, to avoid the importing country having conclusions that affect agricultural exports.

Currently, China is the largest export market for Vietnamese durian. In 2023, China spent 2.1 billion USD to buy 493 thousand tons of durian from Vietnam, an increase of 1,036% in value and 1,107% in volume compared to 2022.

The market share of Vietnamese durian in China's total imports increased sharply from 5% in 2022 to 34.6% in 2023. The average imported durian price from Vietnam reached 4,332.2 USD/ton.

Source