Vietnam strictly monitors durian shipments to China
VOV.VN - Vietnamese authorities have requested a number of localities and businesses to trace the origin of 30 export shipments of Vietnamese durian to China after they were warned of containing excessive cadmium.
Statistics show that from May 2023 to January 2024, some 30 durian shipments had been warned about violating China’s food safety regulations.
A representative of the Plant Protection Department said the contamination may come from the cultivation stage with the use of fertilizers or soil, and along with irrigation water sources that are potentially contaminated with cadmium.
Moreover, during the post-harvest cleaning process, Vietnamese businesses may use cadmium-contaminated washing water or use chemicals containing cadmium.
The Plant Protection Department is gathering feedback from businesses and localities and send a notice to the General Administration of Customs of China before April 3.
Currently, China is the largest export market for Vietnamese durian products. In 2023, it spent US$2.1 billion buying 493,000 tonnes of the Vietnamese fruit, an increase of 1,036% in value and 1,107% in volume compared to 2022.
Durian is also Vietnam’s billion-dollar fruit. The country aims to earn US$3 billion from durian exports this year.
