Products such as durian, longan, lychee, mango, dragon fruit, coconut, banana, pineapple, passion fruit... are increasingly popular in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, US, EU... markets. But in order for markets to receive fresh fruit, meeting plant quarantine requirements to avoid the spread of diseases and ensure food safety are prerequisite factors.

Processing lychees before exporting. (Photo: Hong Quang)

Adapt to market standards

Vietnamese agricultural products have been exported to over 180 markets around the world. Export markets are increasingly expanding, but food safety requirements of those markets are increasingly stricter. Along with promoting the restructuring of agricultural production, functional sectors and localities are actively implementing the construction, development and standardization of production and supply chains of safe agricultural products and food.

Particularly for fresh fruits and vegetables such as durian, longan, lychee, mango, dragon fruit, coconut, banana, pineapple, passion fruit...; increasingly favored by markets such as China, Japan, Korea, US, EU.... But in order for markets to receive fresh fruit, meeting plant quarantine requirements to avoid the spread of diseases and ensure food safety are prerequisite factors.

To manage this, most fresh fruit import markets require products to be within the assigned growing area code; Products must be processed prior to packaging in a mutually acceptable facility. Controlling products through all stages can easily trace the product's origin as well as help quickly find stages that pose a risk of losing food hygiene and safety, if any.

For example, in the Chinese market alone, in addition to meeting the above requirements, Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of the Notification Office and National Question and Answer Point on food hygiene and safety and animal and plant quarantine, said; Enterprises exporting fruit to this market must also meet Order 248 on "Regulations on registration and management of foreign imported food production enterprises"; and Order 249 "Measures for managing import and export food safety" into the Chinese market.

Or the EU market is very demanding on traceability and product quality standards, especially food safety and hygiene. The European Commission (EC) regularly changes and updates the maximum residue levels of pesticides, especially for products such as fresh and frozen fruit. Therefore, when producing cooperatives and businesses exporting to any market, they need to learn and clearly grasp information about that market; from consumer tastes to regulations and standards on rules of origin and food safety and hygiene, Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam emphasized.

For example, Thanh Ha lychee products, thanks to ensuring safe quality, are currently consumed mainly domestically and exported to a number of large, high-end markets such as China, Japan, France, America, Korea, Malaysia,... Accordingly, Thanh Ha lychees were purchased and sold by Red Dragon Production, Trading and Services Company Limited at the Market Place system (Australia) for nearly 600,000 VND/kg.

In 2023, Vietnamese lychees imported by air into Australia will be sold for about 400,000 - 500,000 VND/kg. Meanwhile, dozens of tons of lychees go by sea when brought to market in many states of Australia with a selling price of about 260,000 VND/kg. This is a very high price compared to the average lychee price of 70,000 - 100,000 VND/kg sold in the Vietnamese market.

This batch of early ripe lychees exported to the Australian market by Red Dragon Production, Trading and Services Co., Ltd. are all grown in lychee gardens that meet VietGAP standards; GlobalGAP and undergo strict quality inspection in mid-May. The above lychees are exported by air and preserved with modern technology, so even though they wait a long time for customs clearance; Lychees are still fresh and delicious when sold in supermarkets in Australia.

According to Thanh Ha District People's Committee, this year the locality still maintains 48 growing areas with 167 codes eligible for export to China, Australia, America, Japan, Thailand... Early lychee includes many varieties of pink gall, egg white, spiny... with the characteristics of large fruit, thick pulp, moderate sugar content, and is popular in foreign markets.

Trade Promotion Center - Hai Duong Department of Industry and Trade, Thanh Ha District People's Committee and Hai Duong Provincial Tourism Association have just organized the launch of the Thanh Ha - Hai Duong lychee program "Journey with tours".

Khoi Hue Company Limited (Thanh Ha district) is the unit that is jointly organizing 6 weighing and fabric purchasing points for Thanh Ha farmers. Mr. Le Van Khoi, Director of the Company, affirmed that he will accompany travel businesses, providing the best quality lychee products to tourists. Mr. Khoi said that the quality and brand of Thanh Ha fabric have been affirmed in the domestic and foreign markets.

Enhance the reputation of Vietnamese fruits

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the establishment and issuance of planting area codes and packaging facilities contributes to orienting production according to market needs, improving the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products. To date, 56 localities have issued 7,344 growing area codes and 1,629 packaging facility codes allowed to export to markets: China, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, EU...

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, to obtain the above number of growing area codes and packaging facilities was a long-term effort. Obtaining a code for the growing area and packaging facility is very difficult. Because, after being approved by Vietnamese authorities, in order to be approved by the import market, they will have to check, evaluate, and wait... But if these codes are not followed strictly, allowing fraud or food safety violations to occur, the risk of being recalled is huge.

It is recommended that localities promote inspection, examination and supervision of growing area codes and product packaging facilities before export.

According to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, if a violation occurs, the import market may revoke or cancel the issued code. But usually, to avoid affecting the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products, when detected, domestic authorities can proactively temporarily suspend and request solutions.

Faced with increasingly improving technical requirements, quality standards, and packaging of the import market, the Plant Protection Department; The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requests localities to promote inspection, examination and supervision of planting area codes and packaging facilities; Especially durian products are in great demand for export to the Chinese market.

Thereby, detecting and promptly handling cases of violations and fraud in the use of planting area codes and export packaging facilities; Implement an annual monitoring program on food safety and quality standards for durian.

The Plant Protection Department believes that localities need to develop technical solutions to properly manage the codes of growing areas and packaging facilities for durian exports. Along with that, strengthen inspection, supervision and strictly implement the suspension or revocation of growing area codes and packaging facilities for cases of violation according to regulations.

Most importantly, owners of growing areas and packaging facilities must comply with quality control procedures, randomly inspecting shipments before being sent to the packaging house or before leaving the factory. At the same time, well organize the actual production chain from growing areas, packaging facilities, plant quarantine treatment facilities, and exports to create quality products.

Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Plant Protection Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development emphasized; To export agricultural products in general and fruits in particular, businesses need to fully meet the requirements of the import market. The actors in the production chain must complete the stages of management, production, pest prevention, as well as preliminary processing, processing, packaging and transportation so that the product always meets market requirements.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Trung emphasized that Vietnamese agricultural products do not have to compete in quantity but now have to compete in quality. Therefore, the Minister of Agriculture and Development has directed relevant units to immediately develop quality-related standards for fruit harvesting to ensure quality. The Ministry directs authorities to strengthen inspection and supervision of issued codes, thereby detecting and strictly handling violations and repeat violations.

Promote customs clearance

The Management Board of Dong Dang-Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone said that the fruit harvest season in the southern provinces is currently underway, so the number of vehicles carrying goods to the border gates of Lang Son province continues to increase.

Goods transported to the border gate are mainly agricultural products and fresh fruits, which are gathered by traders and businesses to Huu Nghi international border gate and Tan Thanh border gate for export procedures.

Nearly 400 trucks of goods are cleared for export every day through border gates in Lang Son province.

Accordingly, at Huu Nghi international border gate, on average each day, nearly 1,000 vehicles of import and export goods are cleared, of which about 669 are exported and about 327 are imported. The number of vehicles transporting agricultural products and fresh fruits exported each day through this border gate alone reaches 248 vehicles. Mainly durian, dragon fruit, jackfruit, grapefruit, lychee...

At Tan Thanh border gate, every day there are about 322 cargo trucks going through customs clearance procedures, of which 195 are imported and 127 are exported, the majority of which are trucks carrying agricultural products and fresh fruits.

Aggregated at 6 road border gate areas: Huu Nghi, Chi Ma, Tan Thanh, Coc Nam, Na Hinh, Na Nua (Lang Son), on May 23, the total number of imported and exported vehicles was: 1,312 vehicles ( Exported 397 vehicles; Imported 915 vehicles).

Currently, at the border gates in Lang Son province, the amount of lychee from Bac Giang sent through export procedures to the Chinese market is also gradually increasing because the lychee harvest has begun.

To ensure the quality of fresh fruit shipments, agencies and functional forces at the border gate have flexibly implemented solutions to promote customs clearance of this item.

Huu Nghi and Tan Thanh Border Gate Customs Branch (Lang Son Customs Department) said that in order to create maximum conditions; The unit arranges staff to directly receive and handle procedures for businesses until 11 p.m., working every day of the week.

Statistical data from Lang Son Customs Department shows that, from the beginning of the year to May 15, the total turnover of import and export goods through Lang Son province of all types of import and export including (business, transit, border gate transfer, independent transportation) reached over 20.1 billion USD.

Of which, the turnover of import and export goods declared at Lang Son Customs Department reached over 1.8 billion USD, an increase of 30% over the same period last year. Of which, exports reached 733.96 million USD, an increase of 12.3% and imports reached over 1 billion USD, an increase of 46.8% over the same period in 2023.

Vibrant export activities have brought Vietnam's export turnover to the Chinese market in the first 4 months of the year to 17.7 billion USD; increased by 10.9% over the same period last year (equivalent to an increase in turnover of 1.74 billion USD).

With the above results, China continues to be Vietnam's second largest export market (after the US market).

Notably, by the end of April, there were 5 groups of our country's exports to this neighboring country with a turnover of 1 billion USD or more, an increase of 3 groups compared to the same period in 2023./.

Source: Kinh Te Nong Thon Newspaper