Dragon fruit, one of Vietnam’s key export fruit commodities is facing increasingly stringent control requirements from the European Union (EU) market. Beyond tightening inspections at border gates, the EU has altered its approach to setting Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), forcing the entire production, processing, and export chain to adapt more rapidly and systematically.

Strict control from production to border gates

According to information from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnamese dragon fruit is currently subject to enhanced control under Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2019/1793, with an inspection frequency of 30%, not 50% as previously indicated in some inaccurate reports. This demonstrates that while the supervisory pressure on this commodity is substantial, it remains manageable if regulations are well complied with.

Notably, on January 29, 2026, the EU announced a shift in its method for establishing MRLs from "risk-based" to "hazard-based." Under this approach, for high-risk active substances such as those that are carcinogenic or endocrine-disrupting, the default MRL is lowered to just 0.01 mg/kg, which is technically close to zero. This is a severe tightening measure that directly impacts the agricultural production processes of exporting countries, including Vietnam.

In this context, according to Mr. Dang Ngoc Diep, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry has proactively directed specialized agencies to assess the impacts. Concurrently, it has requested localities and relevant units to review and aggregate difficulties to serve official discussions with the EU. The Ministry also frequently organizes conferences and technical training sessions to disseminate the new regulations promptly to businesses, producers, and local officials.

Regarding the control of plant protection product residues, upon receiving non-compliance notifications from the EU, specialized agencies conduct traceability investigations, determine the root causes, and complete corrective action reports to send to competent EU authorities. Thanks to the synchronous implementation of solutions, the number of food safety violation alerts has dropped significantly, from 64 alerts in 2024 to 17 in 2025. Particularly, the inspection results by the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG-SANTE) the organization responsible for protecting the health of EU citizens conducted from June 3 to 20, 2025, for Vietnamese chili, dragon fruit, and durian, were positively evaluated by the EU side. This serves as an important foundation for Vietnam to continue negotiating a reduction in inspection frequencies in the coming time.

Enhancing compliance capacity toward sustainable production

Faced with escalating demands from the EU market, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has determined the need to implement both immediate and long-term solutions synchronously to ensure the maintenance and expansion of the export market for dragon fruit. Regarding immediate solutions, Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection under the Ministry, stated that the Department has promptly advised Ministry leadership to urgently direct the completion of technical reports on the implementation of action plans to rectify existing shortcomings. This will serve as a basis for negotiations with the EU to lower border inspection frequencies. Simultaneously, the Department is strengthening information exchange with EU authorities, particularly concerning draft regulations related to MRLs, to ensure timely and appropriate feedback. In the long term, a key orientation is to enhance the compliance capacity of businesses, producers, and local technical systems. Among these steps, transitioning to sustainable production models, reducing chemical dependency, and increasing the use of biological plant protection products and biocontrol measures are identified as fundamental solutions. Inspection and supervision work must be intensified, and violations must be strictly handled to create a transparent production environment that meets international market requirements.

Evaluating this issue, Mr. Dang Ngoc Diep stated that meeting the increasingly stringent regulations of the EU is not only a challenge but also an opportunity for the Vietnamese agricultural sector to restructure toward modern, transparent, and more sustainable directions. To retain the market, there is no other path than strict compliance with international standards, from the production stage to export.

Practically, the EU remains a potential market with high added value, but it comes with a system of strict technical standards. For Vietnamese dragon fruit, maintaining the inspection frequency at 30% is already a commendable effort, yet the further goal is to reduce this rate by elevating product quality and reputation.

Evidently, in the context of deep integration, strictly controlling the quality of agricultural products is aimed not only at meeting the requirements of importing markets but also at contributing to protecting the brand of Vietnamese agricultural products on the international stage. Dragon fruit, acting as one of the exemplary "representatives," is standing before a vital transition: from quantity-based production to standard-based production, and from easy export to sustainable export.

Source: Bao Quan doi nhan dan