Vietnamese Durian Exports to China Halted Over Missing Test Reports

Starting from Jan. 10, the General Administration of Customs of China has required imported durians to be accompanied by test reports for auramine O and cadmium. At ports of entry, samples must be taken from each shipment of durians, and the goods cannot be released until testing is complete. Large batches of durians from Thailand and Vietnam have already been refused entry to China owing to missing reports.

Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives reacted swiftly, and six Thai laboratories were recently approved by the GACC to conduct auramine O tests and issue reports. On Jan. 20 and 21, inspection stations in Thailand released 13 batches of durians totaling 155.5 metric tons, all accompanied by the stipulated test reports.

In contrast to Thailand’s quick response, the relevant authorities in Vietnam have yet to take action. As of now, Vietnam has no designated institution or agency to issue such reports, causing the country’s durian exports to China to come to a standstill.

Doan Van Ven, general manager of Anh Thu Company in Dak Lak province, stated that the company’s shipment of 10 containers, totaling approximately 170 metric tons of durians, underwent only cadmium testing. The absence of a test report for auramine O caused the shipment to be held at the port for nearly 10 days without clearance. Facing concerns about potential damage to the goods, the company had no option but to return the durians. As a result, the company was forced to suspend its durian exports to China.

On the one hand, this inability to export durians has led to large quantities being returned from ports and subsequently sold domestically in Vietnam at low prices. On the other hand, with the Chinese New Year holiday approaching, logistics capacity is tightening in Vietnam. Many durian warehouses have even opted to close early, causing a sharp drop in domestic prices. According to Vietnamese media reports, about one month ago in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, the purchasing price for Monthong (also known as “golden pillow”) durians was as high as 170,000 Vietnamese dong ($6.78) to 200,000 dong ($7.97) per kilogram, with Ri6 durians exceeding 100,000 dong ($3.99) per kilogram. In recent days, however, the price for Monthong durians has dropped to just 80,000 dong ($3.19) per kilogram, while Ri6 durians have fallen to only 40,000 dong ($1.59) per kilogram.

The Vietnamese durian industry hopes that the government can quickly cooperate with China to establish specialized testing units capable of issuing auramine O test reports for durian shipments. It is currently the off-season for durians in Vietnam, and the supply in the Mekong Delta region is relatively low. However, if this situation persists until March, when durian production begins in the western regions, prices could be significantly affected.

Image: Pixabay

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