Hanoi (VNA) – The General Administrationof Customs of China (GACC) has made good comments on durian growing areas in theCentral Highlands province of Dak Lak.
  
The agency and Vietnam's Plant ProtectionDepartment have conducted joint online assessment of 25 durian growing areas of the KrongPak Fruit Cooperative and Dung Thai Son Import-Export Trading JSC - one ofthe enterprises recognised to be eligible for durian export via the officialchannel by the Chinese side.

The Chinese side initially said that the durian farms have met environmental standards, according to Vo Ngoc Huy,deputy director of the cooperative.

The agency checked a total of 38 planting area codesand six packaging facilities for nearly half a month with a combined area of1,500 hectares, but the official results are yet to be announced.

Le Anh Trung, from Thai Son Export-Import andConstruction JSC, noted that as China has still pursued the “Zeo COVID” policy,GACC paid close attention to the management over pandemic prevention and control atfarms, including the Integrated Pest Management(IPM), plant quarantine and the assessment of pesticide residues inagricultural products.

Vietnam’s 2021 durian output was estimated at600,000 tonnes, up 15% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development (MARD)’s Department of Crop Production.

The country now has about 50,000-60,000ha of duriangrowing areas for official export, mainly in Tay Ninh, Binh Duong, Dong Nai,Binh Phuoc, Tien Giang and Dak Lak provinces.

Durian will be the 11th Vietnamese fruit to enterthe Chinese market via official channels, following a protocol signed byMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan in July.

The protocol on phytosanitary requirements forVietnamese durian exported to China is effective within three years. It will besent to the General Administration of Customs of China and published on itsportal, together with lists of eligible durian growing areas and packingfacilities of Vietnam.

Vietnamese durian will be allowed to officially beexported to China after the protocol is publicised. Earlier, dragon fruit,watermelon, lychee, longan, banana, mango, jackfruit, rambutan, mangosteen andpassion fruit from Vietnam were also allowed to be shipped to China viaofficial channels./.