According to data from the Customs Department, in 2024, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable export turnover will reach approximately 7.15 billion USD, an increase of 27.6% compared to 2023. Of which, fruit and vegetable export turnover to China will reach over 4.63 billion USD, an increase of 27.3%; the US will increase by 39.8%; South Korea will increase by 39.6%; Thailand will increase by 73.7%; Japan will increase by 15.3%; Taiwan (China) market will increase by 10.9%; Australia will increase by 25.9%...
This reflects the efforts of the fruit and vegetable industry in improving quality, meeting strict market standards, especially taking advantage of opportunities from free trade agreements (FTAs).
However, Vietnamese fruits and vegetables still face quality problems. Specifically, in January 2024, China issued a warning about fresh durian and jackfruit exported from Vietnam due to non-compliance with regulations on plant quarantine and food safety.
In particular, durian exports plummeted in the first two months of 2025 due to an 80% drop in exports to China as the market has imposed stricter controls on imported agricultural products. Accordingly, durian shipments must have results of analysis for Cadmium residue and yellow O and testing must be performed at laboratories recognized by China. All Vietnamese durian shipments to China are 100% inspected before customs clearance.
According to Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, there is currently no specific information from the authorities on the issue of durian contaminated with O-yellow or Cadmium. Therefore, the role of the State in building a legal corridor for controlling quality from the root is very necessary, for example, all durian gardens must have a certificate of no O-yellow or Cadmium before selling.
The quality of the pepper and spice industry is also a matter of concern. According to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), in 2024, Vietnam recorded the highest number of warnings from Europe with 21 cases, a 7-fold increase compared to 2023. Chili was the product with the most warnings with 11 warnings; cinnamon had 7 warnings, pepper had 1 warning for Salmonella bacteria.
Also in 2024, 15 warnings were issued for Vietnamese spices imported into the US, including 6 for cinnamon. In addition, several shipments of Vietnamese black pepper imported into Taiwan (China) were warned due to the detection of red sudan exceeding the maximum allowable residue limit.
Tighten management from the root
Identifying the difficulties from reality, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen analyzed: for example, with durian, currently, when businesses come to buy at the garden, the gardeners will require the businesses to finish cutting the goods, pay, and go out to the garden before taking samples for testing. This is safe for the gardeners but causes difficulties for businesses.
Regarding this issue, Deputy Director of the Vietnam SPS Office (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) Ngo Xuan Nam said that currently, the new management work focuses on post-inspection. Accordingly, the new authorities inspect the facilities to collect samples and send them to the analysis agencies. However, the system of testing and analysis agencies in Vietnam is still thin, sending samples and getting results takes a lot of time and is quite expensive.
In response to the requirements of importing countries such as the EU, the US, etc., one of the current management tools is to take samples for testing at the source of production. Therefore, testing units also need to be located in large production areas, concentrated production areas for export to facilitate testing.
Tightening inspection from the source and transparency of information are also ways for the agricultural industry to go the long way. Changing farming habits and requiring inspection from the source of products not only protect the health of consumers and export markets but also protect the producers themselves.
Notably, to boost exports and build brands for agricultural products, one of the hot issues today is standards for quality control. Talking about solutions, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien said that the Ministry will soon research, develop and issue national standards for key products.
When developing and promulgating standards on the quality of fruits and vegetables, it will help all parties have a "basis" for joint production, harvesting, and processing. This standard will be a premise for the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc. to confidently continue negotiating to open the market. Along with that, the management agency will have stricter legal institutions to protect genuine producers.
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/nong-san-viet-doi-dien-voi-bai-toan-chat-luong.html
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