Fresh Vietnamese durians gain official China market access

On July 27, the General Administration of Customs of China officially granted permission for fresh durians from Vietnam to be imported into China, making Vietnam only the second country after Thailand to attain market access for fresh durians — China’s largest fresh fruit import by value. China and Vietnam finally signed bilateral phytosanitary protocols for fresh durians earlier in July after at least two years of negotiations. The protocols stipulate that Vietnamese durians can be imported into China through all border gates where the GACC allows the import of fruit. The large majority of Vietnamese fruit is currently transported to China via overland crossings on the nearly 1,300-kilometer-long land border between the two countries. As is typical with such agreements, the protocols also specify a range of requirements that growers, packers and exporters in Vietnam must follow for China-bound durians. For example, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development must ...