Durian and the story of credibility for agricultural products

Since January 2025, information that China requires durian shipments exported to this market to have a certificate of inspection for yellow O (a chemical with a high risk of causing cancer) and cadmium (a heavy metal) has caused many durian export shipments to be returned.

Perhaps that is why durian in the gardens, despite being in the off-season and in short supply, has still dropped more than 60% in price compared to the same period last year. Although Binh Thuan is not a large durian growing area in the country, in recent years, the durian area has spread to three growing areas: Ham Thuan Bac, Tanh Linh and Duc Linh with a total area of ​​over 3,000 hectares, helping farmers effectively convert crops. Of which, Ham Thuan Bac district alone currently has nearly 2,000 hectares and one of the largest growing areas is Da Mi commune, with an average yield of 15 - 30 tons/ha, and a harvest output of about 50,000 tons per year.

Durian exported to China must have a certificate of yellow O quality. Photo: Document.

In order for durian in the province to have a foothold and compete with durian produced in countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, farmers in the province are gradually producing durian according to VietGAP standards, ensuring safety, in order to bring durian to demanding markets more easily. However, durian export in Vietnam in general and Binh Thuan in particular is in the most difficult period since China allowed official export.

Yellow O (Auramine O) chemical name is Diarylmethane. This is a substance used to create color in industry, banned from use in animal husbandry, not used in the production, processing of agricultural products, food additives. Yellow O is a toxic substance, classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a group 3 carcinogen, meaning it has a high potential to cause cancer. This substance ranks 5th out of 116 leading carcinogens in the world.

In the context of export markets increasingly demanding food safety as well as meeting environmental criteria, receiving warnings from countries not only directly affects the reputation and brand of agricultural products, but also affects export turnover. The story of the yellow card warning on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is a typical example. Since being fined with the "yellow card" by the EU, the domestic seafood export industry has encountered many difficulties over the past 7 years. During the "yellow card" period, 100% of seafood containers exported to the EU were detained for inspection of the origin of exploitation, which was both time-consuming and increased export costs. Therefore, in response to the warning that China must have a yellow O test certificate on durian, Vietnam needs to comply with relevant laws, regulations and standards to avoid unnecessary losses. Not only durian, many other agricultural products are also currently reducing their export rates due to increasingly strict regulations of many markets.

Require relevant ministries and branches to immediately implement measures to ensure compliance with export market standards (documentary photo)

It is known that the time to inspect the quality of durian transport vehicles lasts 7-9 days, and many vehicles have completed export procedures to China but were required by the authorities of that country to return to Vietnam because they did not meet the quality inspection standards of that country.

Therefore, to facilitate Binh Thuan province's enterprises in producing, trading and exporting goods (especially durian) through border gates, the competent authorities have notified the province's durian exporting enterprises to grasp the fact that China has strengthened quality control of durian products. Thereby, in order to avoid risks and losses and proactively monitor and update new changes in regulations on quality standards of Chinese agricultural products.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested relevant ministries and branches to immediately implement measures to ensure compliance with export market standards, in order to protect the reputation and position of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market. Accordingly, exporters need to ensure that products do not exceed the permitted chemical residue level and meet the strict requirements of Northern European importers. Use plant protection chemicals approved by the EU; test chemical residues at internationally standardized laboratories before exporting. Enterprises must ensure that Phytosanitary Certificates are a mandatory requirement for products to enter the EU market...

According to the latest information, by the end of February, Vietnam had 6 centers for testing yellow O in durian recognized by China. Each of these testing centers has the capacity to test about 100 samples/day, still meeting the needs of people and durian exporting enterprises. However, if there are no urgent solutions to control cadmium residue and yellow O to increase exports, durian is at risk of "breaking out" when the main harvest season from April to September comes.

The story of durian shows that farmers need to change their production mindset and adhere to a closed, safe, clean agricultural practice process. In addition, the authorities need to tighten the management of chemicals and antibiotics in production and cultivation, and the testing process of domestic agricultural products must be more stringent so that Vietnamese agricultural products can gradually gain prestige in the world market.

The authorities recommend that in the absence of a yellow O quality certificate, businesses are not allowed to export durian to China. If they deliberately export without complying with regulations, the risk of being warned by China is very high. This could lead to China temporarily suspending the import of durian from Vietnam, which would cause great losses to the entire industry and affect the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products, not just a few businesses.

In 2024, Vietnamese agricultural products received 114 warnings from the EU, including 61 warnings about chemical residues, an increase of 23 times compared to 2023. In the first two months of this year alone, the EU sent 16 warnings to Vietnamese agricultural and food products exported due to violations of food safety regulations.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/sau-rieng-va-cau-chuyen-chu-tin-cho-nong-san-128619.html