Nearly 2,000 containers of durian left stranded: Testing laboratory resumes operations.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Following the backlog of nearly 2,000 containers of durian from Dak Lak province that could not be exported pending chemical residue testing, the testing laboratories have now resumed operations.

On October 27th, a leader of the Dak Lak Provincial Durian Association confirmed that the laboratories designated to test for cadmium and yellow dye residues in durian for export have resumed operations after a temporary suspension for maintenance and system upgrades.

According to the leader of the Dak Lak Provincial Durian Association, ministries and agencies recently held a meeting to resolve obstacles in the inspection of durian for export.

Thousands of containers used to have to wait for inspection before being exported (Photo: Uy Nguyen).

"The testing laboratories are back in operation, and many containers of goods have been inspected and exported. Dak Lak still has 40,000-50,000 tons of unharvested durian in the communes of Krong Nang, Krong Buk, and Ea H'leo."

"If the laboratories are not operational in time to test the products, durian will not be eligible for export, which will greatly affect the industry," said the leader of the Durian Association.

According to a director of an agricultural export business in Dak Lak, for more than 10 days, testing laboratories have been shut down, leaving durian exporting businesses in a precarious situation. They have been forced to refrigerate durians, and the containers have had to run continuously, incurring significant costs.

"Due to the long waiting times, we had to consider peeling the durian into segments and selling them retail to minimize losses. Some units even had poor storage conditions, leading to durian spoilage. Hearing that the inspection units have resumed operations, we are very happy and hope that exports will continue smoothly," the director shared.

Some businesses are considering separating the durian segments and freezing them to minimize losses (Illustrative image: Uy Nguyen).

According to Ms. Hanh (43 years old, residing in Krong Nang commune, Dak Lak province), her family has been "losing sleep and appetite" in recent days waiting for traders to harvest the durian as agreed. Due to complications with chemical residue testing procedures, the durian cannot be exported as planned, so harvesting in the orchard has also been temporarily suspended.

"Some durians ripened too quickly and fell off the trees in the orchard, forcing my family to sell them at a low price while waiting for traders to come and harvest them," Ms. Hanh said.

Previously, from October 11th to 23rd, the laboratories designated to test for cadmium and yellow dye residues in durian for export temporarily ceased operations for maintenance and system upgrades.

Many businesses were unable to complete the inspection and certification procedures for export shipments as required. This resulted in nearly 2,000 containers of durian being held up in warehouses, factories, on transport routes, and at border crossings.

Many businesses have been forced to temporarily suspend purchasing, causing durian prices on the market to plummet. Many farmers are hesitant to harvest their crops, putting thousands of tons of durian at risk of ripening, falling, and spoiling in the orchards.

The Dak Lak Provincial Durian Association has sent a written request to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment , and the People's Committee of Dak Lak province for support in resolving difficulties in the consumption and export of durian.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/vu-gan-2000-container-sau-rieng-bi-un-u-phong-kiem-nghiem-hoat-dong-lai-20251027182519348.htm