Durian quarantine tightened after warning from China

ANTD.VN - The Plant Protection Department has requested localities and relevant units to strengthen inspection and supervision of durian growing areas and export packaging facilities following warnings from China.

The Plant Protection Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has issued a notice that it has received a notice from the General Administration of Customs of China regarding a shipment of fresh fruit (including durian and jackfruit) exported from Vietnam.

These shipments do not meet plant quarantine and food safety requirements, leading to risks affecting the reputation and brand of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market.

To control this situation, the Plant Protection Department requires localities and related units to strengthen inspection and supervision of growing areas and export packaging facilities. The Department also requires the development of plans and organization of food safety supervision and quality standards of exported fruits at facilities that have been granted codes. Facilities that do not comply with regulations will have their growing area and packaging facility codes temporarily suspended.

At the same time, it is recommended that growing areas and packaging facilities strictly carry out testing for pesticide residues, heavy metals and traceability as mandatory conditions for granting and maintaining codes.

Durian just warned by China for failing quarantine

For owners of growing area codes who do not directly export, it is necessary to notify the provincial specialized agency of the expected export volume and the name of the exporting unit.

To support growing areas and packaging facilities in protecting the codes they own, the Plant Protection Department requests the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to notify and guide the owners of growing area and packaging facility codes. In case they do not directly export but allow other organizations and individuals to export products from their growing areas and packaging facilities, they must send a written notice to the provincial specialized agency assigned to issue and manage codes about the expected export volume from the growing area in the year and the name of the exporting unit.

After receiving the notification document from the owner of the growing area code and the export packaging facility, the provincial professional agency will synthesize and send a report to the Plant Protection Department and update the database so that the regional plant quarantine sub-departments can use the facility to carry out plant quarantine procedures. The implementation time will start from January 20.

To unify the management focal point, the Plant Protection Department and regional plant quarantine sub-departments will not receive direct notifications from businesses, organizations and individuals representing growing area codes and packaging facilities.

From January 20, regional plant quarantine sub-departments will use the consolidated reports of provincial-level professional agencies as the basis for carrying out plant quarantine procedures for shipments not directly exported by the owners of the growing area codes and packaging facilities.

In late December 2024, the European Union announced that it would increase the frequency of inspections of Vietnamese durian at the border from 10% to 20% from January 8, 2025. This decision was made after discovering residues of many active ingredients of plant protection drugs exceeding the permitted threshold according to European standards.

At the end of December 2024, the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association issued an urgent notice, strongly protesting against the fraudulent and illegal copying of durian growing area codes and export packaging facilities by some individuals. These individuals used fake authorization contracts, fake seals and signatures to defraud businesses and bypass authorities, in order to profit and illegally export to China.

In 2024, Vietnam's durian export turnover will reach 3.3 billion USD, an increase of more than 1 billion USD compared to the previous year.

Source: https://www.anninhthudo.vn/siet-kiem-dich-sau-rieng-sau-canh-bao-tu-trung-quoc-post601013.antd