After 1 week of removing inspection obstacles, durian exports are smooth again.

(Chinhphu.vn) - Recently, there has been some information related to the congestion in durian exports in some localities in the Central Highlands, especially Dak Lak - the largest durian growing region in the country.

Quarantine and customs officers inspect goods before export.

The main reason was determined to be that some testing laboratories temporarily stopped operating, making it impossible for businesses to complete the analysis procedures for Cadmium and Yellow O indicators - a mandatory condition for granting export certificates.

The temporary suspension of some testing laboratories has slowed down customs clearance, affecting consumption and causing risks of damage to businesses as well as durian growers. Faced with this reality, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and localities have quickly stepped in and given strong directions to remove difficulties and ensure stable export activities.

Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, said that Vietnam currently has 24 testing laboratories recognized by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) to serve durian exports, with a total capacity of about 3,200 samples/day – completely meeting actual demand.

However, since mid-October, a number of testing labs have had to temporarily suspend operations due to maintenance, equipment failure or re-evaluation, leading to temporary congestion. In response to this situation, on October 24, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung held an urgent meeting with relevant units, requesting a review of operations, transparency of capacity and ensuring consistent analysis results between Vietnam and China.

After a week of drastic implementation, testing activities have returned to normal, laboratories have accelerated the processing of remaining samples, ensuring smooth operations for businesses.

"The Ministry requires all testing units to work seriously to avoid data discrepancies that pose risks to exported goods. At the same time, businesses need to contact directly the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development or the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection for timely guidance and handling," Mr. Dat emphasized.

At the main border gates, customs clearance of durian remains stable. According to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, there are an average of 300-400 export vehicles per day: Lang Son 200-250 vehicles, Lao Cai 100-150 vehicles and Mong Cai about 50 vehicles.

Currently, domestic durian production has entered the final stage of the season, and the remaining quantity is not much. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment recommends that localities and businesses continue to stabilize the market, avoid panic or hoarding, causing disruption to the consumption chain.

Exports remain stable

According to Ms. Dang Thi Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dak Lak, the whole province currently has nearly 45,000 hectares of durian, of which more than 26,000 hectares have been harvested. The output in 2025 is estimated to reach 390,000 tons, an increase of 30,000 tons compared to 2024.

By the end of October, the harvest was basically over, with only about 10% remaining (30,000–40,000 tons), concentrated in the communes of Ea Toh, DliêYa, Ea Tan, and Ea Ba. The purchase price at the garden is currently maintained at 60,000–70,000 VND/kg, and growers still have high profits.

"When some laboratories temporarily stopped, causing businesses to slow down, the Department promptly reported to the Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for direction on how to handle the situation. Up to now, purchasing and exporting activities have been stable, with no more congestion," Ms. Thuy informed.

Dak Lak currently has 269 growing area codes and 40 packaging facilities licensed to officially export to China. The Department is coordinating with specialized Departments and the Provincial Durian Association to support businesses in consuming the remaining output at the end of the season, ensuring the reputation of Dak Lak agricultural products is maintained.

Mr. Le Anh Trung, Chairman of the Dak Lak Durian Association, said that since mid-October, the testing of Cadmium and Yellow O indicators has been overloaded because most businesses have concentrated on two qualified centers. Many shipments have been delayed in testing, causing temporary backlogs.

"Thanks to the timely direction of the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, within just one week, the testing labs were back in operation, working through the night to return results to businesses. The backlog of samples was fundamentally resolved, and the market stabilized again," Mr. Trung shared.

The Association highly appreciated the quick and close response of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. On the afternoon of October 24, the Ministry directly met with testing units to remove the bottleneck, helping businesses feel secure to continue purchasing and completing the export of the remaining 10% of output.

Not only solving the immediate situation, the Dak Lak Durian Association is coordinating with the Provincial People's Committee and Department of Agriculture and Environment to implement the 2026 plan on building a sustainable durian production and consumption chain. It is expected that at the end of November, the province will organize a thematic conference to discuss long-term solutions, from production, testing to trade promotion.

According to Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will continue to review laboratory capacity, coordinate with the Chinese side to remove specific obstacles, and at the same time guide localities to proactively control quality and technical processes.

"The Ministry's goal is to not let any shipments be interrupted due to technical issues, to protect production for more than 150,000 hectares of durian with an expected output of more than 1.5 million tons this year," Mr. Dat affirmed.

The general spirit of the whole industry is to handle quickly - neatly - in accordance with regulations, ensuring benefits for businesses, farmers and the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market.

Do Huong

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/sau-1-tuan-go-vuong-khau-kiem-nghiem-xuat-khau-sau-rieng-thong-suot-tro-lai-102251101183355653.htm