China is the world's largest consumer of durian. Opening this market will take advantage of the Vietnamese market in China. However, the frozen durian industry in Vietnam still faces many challenges that need to be fully identified to deal with, especially issues of food safety, traceability, etc.

Fresh and frozen durian imports will increase

On August 19, during the visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the General Department of Customs of China signed three protocols on the export of Vietnamese agricultural products to China, including frozen durian. The official opening of the Chinese market - a market of more than 1.4 billion people for this product - is expected to create great opportunities for the Vietnamese durian industry.

Speaking at the conference to disseminate regulations on the export of frozen durian to the Chinese market, Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that with the recently signed Protocol, the current capacity and demand of the Chinese market, it is forecasted that Vietnam's frozen durian export turnover in 2024 could reach 300 million USD if the business registration is completed early to be able to export soon.

Assessing this opportunity for the Vietnamese durian industry, according to Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department, every year China imports fresh durian worth 7 billion USD, and it is expected that in the next few years, this figure will exceed 10 billion USD. While fresh durian is only 30% pulp, 70% seeds, and the shell must be removed, causing environmental pollution, frozen durian has a long shelf life, can be used immediately or used as raw material for other products. Therefore, to better meet the demand, consumers in China will soon switch to frozen products. Last year, China imported 1 billion USD of frozen durian. It is expected that China will increase its import of fresh durian and frozen durian.

However, the durian industry is currently facing many difficulties. One of the challenges that Vietnamese farmers and businesses are facing is that China is testing 2,700 hectares of durian in the south of Hainan Island. Next, some Vietnamese businesses are not aware of complying with the Protocol signed between the two countries, causing many technical violations. If there is no correction and awareness of compliance with regulations is not raised, China will take measures to handle it. This is very unfortunate, because just because a few businesses violate the law, the whole industry is affected.

Packing frozen durian at Chanh Thu Fruit Export Company Limited. Photo: Nguyen Hien.

13 criteria for evaluating businesses

One of the differences of frozen durian is that this item is considered as “food”. Therefore, this industry will have to comply with Order 248 of China Customs. Units wishing to export must register and be approved by China. The label must be written in English or Chinese, and must include the line "This product is being exported to the People's Republic of China". Therefore, the Plant Protection Department notes that units must write this line verbatim, not translate it into Vietnamese or Chinese.

The line written in the additional declaration column of the Plant Quarantine Certificate must also be written verbatim: "The frozen durian certified by this phytosanitary certificate complies with the provisions of the Protocol on Inspection, Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for Frozen Durian Exported from Viet Nam to China signed by Viet Nam and China on ____, 202X". (Temporary translation: Certification of frozen durian in compliance with the provisions of the Protocol on Quarantine, Inspection and Hygiene Requirements for Frozen Durian Exported from Vietnam to China, signed between Vietnam and China on ____, 202X).

For more information on the appropriate temperature and storage time for frozen durian, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu said that in the first draft, China requires cold storage for 8 hours. Referring to the regulations of Thailand and Malaysia, we propose a cold storage plan of -18 degrees for 1 hour. This is a favorable condition for businesses to apply deep, fast freezing technology. This technology is modern, keeping durian fresh for a long time.

Under Order 248, foreign food production enterprises exporting to China must comply with new registration regulations. This regulation requires establishments to register and obtain a license before exporting products to the Chinese market.

Order 248 stipulates the registration of aquatic products exports on the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) Single Window International Trade System (CIFER). Enterprises must have a food safety management system that is assessed by GACC according to 13 criteria and recognized as equivalent to Chinese standards. Some of the criteria include standards and measures for raw material management, traceability, establishment and operation of HACCP systems, cleaning and sterilization, chemical/waste control, etc.

For frozen durian, enterprises must establish an effective food safety management system. Cold storage must meet standards, as well as the quality of water, salt water, and steam used in the production process must be guaranteed.

After receiving the application from the enterprise, GACC will examine, process the application and notify the results on the CIFER system. Enterprises that meet the requirements will receive a registration number in China. The registration license is valid for 5 years from the date of issue.

The Plant Protection Department notes that enterprises must print on the product packaging the registration code for food production for export and the quarantine registration number issued by Vietnam. The Vietnamese side will inspect the facilities producing, processing and preserving frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China and introduce enterprises that meet food safety requirements to the Chinese side.

Source: Hai Quan Online