Must control durian quality from garden to each export shipment

Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy (4th from left) shares with farmers and local leaders about improving durian quality - Photo: TRUNG TAN

On the morning of May 24, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy visited the durian growing area in Tan Bac commune, Krong Pak district, Dak Lak province, and requested to control the quality of durian from the garden to each export container.

Scan QR code to trace durian origin

Here, people, cooperative representatives and local authorities have made many proposals to improve the quality of durian and develop deep processing to increase the value of this billion-dollar industry chain.

Mr. Tran Van Thang, director of the Krong Pak Green Agriculture Cooperative, said that the cooperative has proactively deployed an electronic stamp system for each durian to trace its origin, increasing the reliability and reputation of the product when it reaches consumers.

However, Mr. Thang also expressed the difficulty in implementing this solution synchronously. Unlike large enterprises that only support qualified growers, cooperatives must accompany all members. In the context of high durian prices, enterprises can cancel contracts, but cooperatives must still ensure consumption.

Therefore, he proposed that the province and the Central Government issue specific support policies to help cooperatives operate more effectively, especially in linking production and sustainable consumption.

Dak Lak is one of the largest durian growing areas in the country - Photo: TRUNG TAN

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dak Lak, Nguyen Van Ha, proposed establishing a local durian quality testing center to shorten the evaluation time and strengthen control of technical standards, especially when exporting to demanding markets such as China, Japan, and the US.

Mr. Ha also noted that there is currently no specific capital support mechanism, making businesses hesitant to invest, while the state budget is difficult to meet all of the needs.

Mr. Nguyen Thien Van, acting chairman of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee, said the province has a number of durian processing factories, including a large-scale freezing factory.

However, without synchronous investment in preliminary processing and deep processing, the added value of the industry will remain low, highly dependent on the fresh fruit market and vulnerable to market fluctuations.

Can prosecute the act of putting banned substances in durian

Minister Do Duc Duy admitted that many countries are currently exporting durian, but some growing areas and packaging facilities in Vietnam still do not fully meet requirements on quality, codes and traceability.

This causes some shipments to be returned, negatively affecting the economy and reputation of agricultural brands, especially in the financial credit system.

"The durian industry is growing rapidly in terms of area and output, creating great pressure on quality control and export," the minister said.

He said the ministry has coordinated with localities to remove many obstacles, typically the Chinese Customs has just granted 800 more growing area codes and 151 packing facility codes to Vietnam, which is a positive signal for this year's durian crop and the coming years.

Mr. Nguyen Thien Van - acting chairman of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee - discussed and proposed to Minister Do Duc Duy some solutions to improve durian quality - Photo: TRUNG TAN

The Minister emphasized that from July 1, the right to control durian quality will be clearly decentralized to local authorities and provincial departments, aiming to enhance responsibility and initiative in managing agricultural product quality.

The Ministry will continue to support policy development, strengthen inspections and strictly handle violators.

However, he also expressed concern that the durian industry is currently too dependent on the Chinese market, which accounts for more than 90% of export output.

"This is a market with favorable logistics costs but high potential risks, especially during the main season when output is large but consumption time is short," he said.

Therefore, the ministry is proactively researching solutions to diversify markets, seeking export opportunities to Japan, the Middle East, South America, etc., while encouraging product diversification to minimize risks when the market fluctuates.

Regarding the residue of banned substances such as cadmium and heavy metals that are harmful to health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment directed to coordinate with localities to determine the main causes related to land and the process of using substandard fertilizers and pesticides.

"We issue a sustainable durian production process, control from the growing area to the packaging and export facilities, and require inspection and strict handling of the use of banned substances to beautify or increase the gloss of the fruit.

We also coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to handle serious criminal violations and protect the reputation of the industry," said Mr. Duy.

The Minister affirmed to encourage businesses to invest in deep processing factories to increase added value and reduce pressure on the main crop season.

Finally, the minister said the ministry is discussing with Chinese Customs to unify the quality inspection process from the growing area to the border gate, ensuring transparency in durian exports.

Dak Lak leads the country in durian acreage, but the growing area code is low.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dak Lak province, the whole province currently has more than 38,800 hectares of durian, the largest in the country, of which 22,600 hectares have been harvested.

Dak Lak has a large area and output of durian, and is making efforts to improve the quality of this industry - Photo: TRUNG TAN

In 2025, the province's total durian output is expected to reach 380,000 - 400,000 tons, with only about 11% of the area being granted a growing area code for official export.

The province currently has 68 approved growing areas and 24 packing facilities, with an additional 229 growing areas awaiting code issuance.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phai-kiem-soat-chat-luong-sau-rieng-tu-vuon-den-tung-cong-hang-xuat-khau-20250524130955668.htm