The Vietnamese government is overhauling its durian production and quality control systems to promote the fruit as a key export item. Following stricter customs inspections in China that impacted exports, the focus has shifted from merely increasing production to building a national brand and diversifying markets.
According to VnExpress on August 17, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Cuong Trung inspected the current status of durian production, consumption, and exports on July 31. He instructed relevant ministries to improve production systems, enhance food safety, strengthen origin tracking, and expand processing, storage, and logistics infrastructure.
Last year, Vietnam's durian exports reached a record $3.86 billion, but exports have sharply declined this year due to heightened customs inspections by China, which detected cadmium and banned dye substances in Vietnamese durians. This has brought quality control to the forefront as a major challenge for the durian industry.
The government plans to reorganize cultivation areas based on environmental conditions and market accessibility. It will select suitable production sites by considering land, water resources, climate, infrastructure, and distribution channels, while limiting indiscriminate expansion in areas unsuitable for cultivation. A supply chain connecting cultivation, primary processing, consumption, and export will also be established.
Export companies will be encouraged to reinvest in raw material production areas to support cultivation techniques and ensure compliance with importing countries' quality standards from the production stage.
Food safety management will become stricter. Durians produced in areas flagged for cadmium contamination will not receive export permits, and affected regions will be managed separately. A food safety and plant quarantine monitoring program, along with an early warning system for pests and diseases, will be established for export durians.
Efforts to restore inspection capabilities for exports to China are also underway. The Ministry of Science and Technology has directed the Quatest 1, 2, and 3 standard and quality technology centers to restore inspection capabilities and complete registration procedures for exports to China by the end of this month.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will compile relevant data to request recognition of inspection facilities from China and expedite discussions on codes for cultivation areas, packaging facilities, and inspection procedures.
Additionally, a national origin tracking portal will be linked with relevant data, allowing for the sharing of inspection data that can confirm cadmium and contamination detection.
Assigning codes to cultivation areas and packaging facilities will be crucial for tracking the history from production to export. Importing countries must be able to verify which farm produced the durians and where they were packaged to ensure trust during customs clearance.
Building on this foundation, the Vietnamese government aims to brand 'Vietnamese Durian' as a national product. By combining geographical indications, quality characteristics, and seasonal competitiveness, the goal is to secure a differentiated brand value compared to competitors like Thailand, rather than competing solely on production volume.
The export market will also diversify from a China-centric focus to include countries worldwide. Efforts will be made to expand exports of frozen durians to South Korea, the U.S., the European Union, Japan, Canada, and Australia, while enhancing trade promotion activities in the UK, France, the Netherlands, and the UAE.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to utilize overseas trade representatives to monitor changes in import policies and technical barriers in various countries and provide relevant information to businesses. To reduce bottlenecks caused by a surge in inspections and exports at customs gateways, the ministry will also expand the provision of market demand and customs-related information.
Investment in primary processing and storage facilities will be encouraged in major production areas to increase the export share of processed products like frozen durians. The Ministry of Finance will simplify tax administration to promote agricultural investment, while the Ministry of Public Security will strictly crack down on illegal activities related to inspections that negatively impact agricultural exports at border gateways.
Local governments will also be assigned responsibilities for managing production areas. Each province and city will need to establish production and export plans tailored to local conditions and standardize cultivation data. The focus will be on improving productivity and quality rather than indiscriminately increasing cultivation areas. In particular, if delays in cultivation area codes or inspection procedures cause export disruptions, the chairperson of the provincial or city people's committee will be held directly accountable to the Prime Minister.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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