Durian Exports Plummet 75%, Vietnam Reveals Cadmium Contamination Cause, More Fruits Receive Warning...
Published Jun 11, 2025
Tridge summary
According to Dang Phuc Nguyen, Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, Vietnam's durian export value reached $2.1 billion and $3.2 billion in 2023 and 2024, respectively. In the first four months of 2025, exports were only $183 million, a year-on-year decline of 60.9%. Exports to the Chinese market alone amounted to $105.7 million, a drop of 75.5%.
Professional institutions have determined that cadmium contamination primarily stems from heavy metal accumulation in soil, mainly resulting from long-term excessive fertilizer use, especially phosphate fertilizers (such as diammonium phosphate). Nguyen believes that cadmium exceedance and alkaline yellow issues in durians expose inherent flaws in the overheated durian industry, including lack of comprehensive management from agricultural input to orchard cultivation and post-harvest processing, large-scale expansion, yield pursuit, and lax management of planting areas and packaging plants.
Nguyen Quang Hieu, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department at Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that when China issued its first warning in March 2024, their investigation had already identified many areas with high cadmium residue. The department recently published the main causes of soil cadmium contamination, including natural factors like soil issues and inability to let farmland rest, and subjective reasons such as farmers' excessive fertilizer use in specific areas.
Regarding the alkaline yellow issue, Hieu explained that due to alkaline yellow discovered in Thai durians, China strengthened controls and applied similar measures to Vietnam to prevent risks from various durian importing countries.
Phan Van Duy, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development Bureau, reported that 34 laboratories have obtained cadmium detection certification, with 24 recognized by China. Similarly, 19 institutions have alkaline yellow detection certification, with 15 recognized by China. However, four laboratories lost certification due to differences between Vietnam's test results and those upon cargo arrival, as sampling can only be representative and cannot absolutely guarantee all products meet standards.
SPS Office representative Dinh Duc Hiep noted that Vietnam's Plant Quarantine Agency has
Professional institutions have determined that cadmium contamination primarily stems from heavy metal accumulation in soil, mainly resulting from long-term excessive fertilizer use, especially phosphate fertilizers (such as diammonium phosphate). Nguyen believes that cadmium exceedance and alkaline yellow issues in durians expose inherent flaws in the overheated durian industry, including lack of comprehensive management from agricultural input to orchard cultivation and post-harvest processing, large-scale expansion, yield pursuit, and lax management of planting areas and packaging plants.
Nguyen Quang Hieu, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department at Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that when China issued its first warning in March 2024, their investigation had already identified many areas with high cadmium residue. The department recently published the main causes of soil cadmium contamination, including natural factors like soil issues and inability to let farmland rest, and subjective reasons such as farmers' excessive fertilizer use in specific areas.
Regarding the alkaline yellow issue, Hieu explained that due to alkaline yellow discovered in Thai durians, China strengthened controls and applied similar measures to Vietnam to prevent risks from various durian importing countries.
Phan Van Duy, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development Bureau, reported that 34 laboratories have obtained cadmium detection certification, with 24 recognized by China. Similarly, 19 institutions have alkaline yellow detection certification, with 15 recognized by China. However, four laboratories lost certification due to differences between Vietnam's test results and those upon cargo arrival, as sampling can only be representative and cannot absolutely guarantee all products meet standards.
SPS Office representative Dinh Duc Hiep noted that Vietnam's Plant Quarantine Agency has
Original content
According to Dang Phuc Nguyen, Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, Vietnam's durian export value reached $2.1 billion and $3.2 billion in 2023 and 2024, respectively. In the first four months of 2025, exports were only $183 million, a year-on-year decrease of 60.9%. Exports to the Chinese market alone amounted to $105.7 million, a decline of 75.5%. Professional institutions have determined that cadmium contamination primarily stems from heavy metal accumulation in soil, mainly due to long-term excessive use of fertilizers, especially phosphate fertilizers (such as diammonium phosphate). Nguyen believes that cadmium exceeding standards and the issue of alkaline yellow in durians expose inherent flaws in the durian industry, including lack of comprehensive management of the supply chain from agricultural inputs to orchard cultivation and post-harvest processing, large-scale expansion, pursuit of yield, and lax management of planting areas and packaging ...
Source: Foodmate
Would you like more in-depth insights?
Gain access to detailed market analysis tailored to your business needs.
What to read next
Read more relevant content
By clicking “Accept Cookies,” I agree to provide cookies for statistical and personalized preference purposes.
To learn more about our cookies, please read our Privacy Policy.