What are the conditions for exporting frozen durian to China?
At the online conference to disseminate regulations on exporting frozen durian to the Chinese market organized by the Plant Protection Department in coordination with the Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper on the morning of September 19, Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Plant Protection Department, said that with the Protocol on exporting frozen durian to the Chinese market just signed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the General Department of Customs of China within the framework of the visit to China by General Secretary and President To Lam, it is forecasted that Vietnam's frozen durian export turnover in 2024 could reach 300 million USD if the registration of exporting enterprises is completed soon.
According to the assessment of the Director of the Plant Protection Department, China is the world's largest durian consumer market. In 2023, China spent about 6.7 billion USD to import fresh durian from other countries and 1 billion USD to import frozen durian from Thailand and Malaysia.
"Opening this market is to take advantage of the Vietnamese market in China. However, the Vietnamese frozen durian industry still faces many challenges that need to be fully identified to deal with, especially issues of food safety and traceability...", Mr. Dat said.
Responding to questions from businesses regarding regulations on exporting frozen durian to the Chinese market, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department, said that one of the differences of frozen durian is that this item is considered a “food”. Therefore, it will have to comply with Order 248 of the Chinese Customs.
According to Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), the Protocol on exporting frozen durian to China will open up opportunities for Vietnam to access this market. Photo: NNVN.
The protocol also requires the Vietnamese side to guide and supervise the entire process from planting raw materials, production, processing, preservation, transportation and export of frozen durian exported to China to ensure compliance with relevant hygiene and safety requirements of both sides and to be free from pathogenic microorganisms. Raw materials for frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China must originate from durian gardens registered with the Vietnamese side. The Vietnamese side will manage and supervise the gardens providing raw materials for frozen durian exported to China and minimize the use of agricultural inputs.
After the frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China arrives at the Chinese port of entry, the Chinese Customs will conduct inspection and supervision of plant quarantine. Only qualified batches of frozen durian will be allowed to be imported into China.
Despite many opportunities, according to Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu, Vietnam's durian industry is also facing many difficulties. One of the challenges that Vietnamese farmers and businesses are facing is that China is testing 2,700 hectares of durian in the south of Hainan Island. Next, some Vietnamese businesses are not aware of complying with the Protocol signed between the two countries, causing many technical violations. "If we do not correct and raise awareness about compliance with regulations, China will take measures to handle it. This is very unfortunate, just because a few businesses violate the law, the whole industry is affected," said Mr. Hieu.
Frozen durian processing line for export of Tay Nguyen Durian Joint Stock Company (Sarita). Photo: K.Nguyen
Businesses need to strictly comply with regulations
Assessing that exporting frozen durian is both an opportunity and a challenge for businesses, people and localities in organizing production and export, Mr. Huynh Tan Dat noted that exporting enterprises, packaging facilities and growing areas must strictly comply with the regulations in the Protocol on plant quarantine and plant safety requirements for exporting frozen durian from Vietnam to China.
The Director of the Plant Protection Department requested businesses to improve freezing technology, product quality and product traceability systems, and control the frozen durian production process. Improving technology as well as product quality must start from the production stage to the packaging and transportation stages, especially freezing equipment and warehouses.
It is necessary to strengthen the inspection and supervision of food safety and plant quarantine in growing areas and packaging facilities to ensure that no errors occur that could affect the quality of the final product. At the same time, it is necessary to have a traceability system and measures to manage and monitor harmful organisms and food safety and hygiene in a scientific and effective manner.
In order to export frozen durian to the Chinese market, the Plant Protection Department will continue to provide technical and regulatory support to localities, associations, growing areas, packaging facilities, and exporting enterprises.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of localities needs to step up inspection and examination of compliance with regulations on plant quarantine and food safety in the production and packaging of frozen durian and in the use of codes, promptly detecting and handling violations.
Support associations, exporting enterprises, growing areas, and frozen durian packaging facilities to maintain conditions that meet requirements for plant quarantine control, food safety, and compliance with regulations of importing countries.
Inside the modern cold storage of Tay Nguyen Durian Joint Stock Company (Sarita). Photo: KN
For export enterprises, packaging facilities, and frozen durian processing facilities, Mr. Dat suggested that they need to carefully study China's regulations and strictly comply with the requirements of the Protocol and China's regulations, proactively build real chains from growing areas to packaging facilities and exporting enterprises, and build a traceability system to ensure traceability when required.
In addition, it is necessary to focus on building brands for Vietnamese durian and frozen durian products, investing in upgrading freezing technology, techniques and product quality to meet international standards.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Plant Protection Department directed specialized departments and offices to coordinate with localities, businesses, and packaging facilities to effectively implement the regulations of the Frozen Durian Protocol in the coming time.
"Enterprises need to practice good agriculture and ensure the requirements of plant quarantine and food safety of the export market. For the topic that businesses are interested in, they need to comply with the criteria under Order 248. In particular, facilities, regular warehouses, cold storage and production equipment must ensure food safety. Factories and processing facilities that meet food safety standards will have their records reviewed by GACC and be granted a registration code for food production enterprises exporting to China. Along with that, the establishment of a growing area code is extremely important. In case the enterprise does not have a raw material area but purchases durian from farmers' orchards and cooperatives, the enterprise needs to ensure traceability for each shipment," Mr. Huynh Tan Dat emphasized.
Frozen durian (Durio zibethinus) includes whole durian fruit (with shell), durian puree (without shell) and durian pulp (without shell), derived from fresh, ripe durian fruit grown in Vietnam, frozen at -35°C or lower for at least 01 hour until the core temperature reaches -18°C or lower and maintained at -18°C or lower during storage and transportation in accordance with the requirements of the International Food Standard.
Source: https://danviet.vn/trung-quoc-mua-sau-rieng-nhieu-nhat-the-gioi-lai-trong-duoc-2700ha-o-dao-hai-nam-viet-nam-can-lam-gi-20240919152347267.htm
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