Another Customs Suspension for Vietnamese Dragon Fruit Exports to China

China temporarily suspended imports of Vietnamese dragon fruit at the pontoon bridge crossing between Dongxing, China, and Mong Cai, Vietnam, for one week earlier this month after discovering traces of SARS-CoV-2 on dragon fruit packaging boxes, according to Vietnamese media from Sept. 17.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that it had received notice from Chinese authorities on Sept. 16 regarding the customs clearance suspension. The pontoon bridge area was scheduled to automatically resume customs clearances of dragon fruit after 11 p.m. on Sept. 21, unless further test results on dragon fruit or any other items came back positive before then, in which case the suspension would be extended by one week. If the virus is then detected a third time, the suspension will reportedly be extended by four weeks.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has recommended that Vietnamese dragon fruit exporters take the initiative to respond and update their customs information as well as communicate with their Chinese business partners to adjust their delivery routes in a timely manner. The ministry also advised that Vietnamese provinces and entrepreneurs actively inspect and investigate the harvesting, packaging, processing and shipping of agricultural products, especially fruit, in order to better promote the consumption of agricultural products during the pandemic.

As Vietnam continues to struggle with virus outbreaks, China has upped its border inspections of fruit arriving from the country. In the past two months, the recent outbreaks have led to suspended operations at border gates several times. In mid-July, China temporarily halted imports of Vietnamese dragon fruit at the Hekou–Lao Cai and Tianbao–Thanh Thuy border crossings. These suspensions lasted one month, causing a sharp drop in the price of Vietnamese dragon fruit. Other ports also experienced severe delays in clearance times due to strict disinfection procedures.

Vietnam’s produce exports to China have plummeted owing to the port suspensions, clearance delays and interruptions to domestic production and distribution. General secretary of the Vietnam Vegetable and Fruit Association, Dang Phuc Nguyen, indicated that Vietnam’s produce export volume to China has fallen by an average of 15% each month since May.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.