Kon Tum (VNS/VNA)♛ – The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum is implementing stricter quality control measures for durian and jackfruit exports following a warning from China about food safety lapses in some Vietnamese durian shipments.

Head of the province's plant protection and cultivation sub-department, Nguyen Hoai Tam, said his agency has stepped up both regular and random inspections of durian, jackfruit and other fruit farms to ensure compliance with food safety and quarantine regulations in importing countries. He warned that any farm violating them would have its export codes suspended. Nevertheless, authorities will also apprise violating farms about corrective measures to ensure quality and safety in future, and failure to comply will result in their removal from the list of eligible exporters. This ensures our fruit exports meet requirements and maintain stable trade relations with international markets, especially China, Tam said. Authorities are communicating with exporters to ensure they comply with all regulations, he said. He explained the process of obtaining production unit codes, which require organisations and individuals to apply for and demonstrate compliance with food safety standards, including providing farming logs and relevant certification like VietGAP and Global GAP. The province's plant protection and cultivation sub-department then reviews the application and inspects the farm before issuing a code. It submits the farm code to the plant protection department for negotiation and approval by the importing country. The province currently has 18 registered production unit codes covering 325 hectares, including six for durian and three for jackfruit./.