Vietnam Fresh Durian insights

On June 10, the Vietnam Pioneer Newspaper Organization held a symposium on sustainable development of the durian industry, focusing on food safety issues related to durians. Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association Secretary General Dang Phuc Nguyen stated that Vietnam's durian export value reached $2.1 billion and $3.2 billion in 2023 and 2024, respectively, with exports in the first four months of 2025 only reaching $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%. According to professional institutions, the primary cause of cadmium contamination is the accumulation of heavy metals in soil, mainly resulting from long-term excessive use of fertilizers, especially phosphate fertilizers (such as diammonium phosphate). Nguyen believes that issues of cadmium exceeding standards and alkaline yellow in durians expose inherent flaws in the overheated durian industry, including lack of comprehensive management of the supply chain from agricultural inputs 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 of Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that when China first issued a warning in March 2024, their investigation discovered many areas with high cadmium residue. The department recently revealed 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 the discovery of alkaline yellow 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, and 19 institutions have alkaline yellow detection certification, with 15 recognized by China. However, due to differences between Vietnam's test results and those upon cargo arrival, four laboratories

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

The price of Kim Zhen durian A fruit is around 80,000 Vietnamese dong/kg, while the Ri6 durian A fruit price is between 55,000-60,000 Vietnamese dong/kg. For small-scale growers lacking investment, such prices are difficult to sustain production long-term. Recently, the Vietnam Chemical Group (Vinacam) submitted a document to the Vietnamese Prime Minister, calling for a thorough investigation into the excessive cadmium levels in imported phosphate diamine (DAP) fertilizers from South Korea. The group has twice submitted documents to the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, requesting the publication of test results for samples recalled in August 2023 to facilitate further negotiations with fertilizer suppliers. However, this request has not yet received a response. According to Vietnamese national standards, imported and circulating phosphate diamine fertilizers must not exceed 12 milligrams of cadmium per kilogram. However, market management departments discovered that some fertilizer samples in circulation exceeded this cadmium limit. Fertilizer suppliers stated they cannot control cadmium levels below 12 milligrams/kg and confirmed actual cadmium content is around 28 milligrams/kg. The primary consumption areas for these fertilizers include Tien Giang, Long An, Dong Thap, Binh Thuan, and Dong Nai provinces. The Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stated at a press conference that they are focusing on achieving sustainable durian exports, such as controlling cultivation processes through water, pesticides, soil, and fertilizers; selecting and breeding durian varieties; checking packaging plant and planting area codes; and addressing origin traceability issues. Additionally, the plant quarantine protocol for Vietnamese fresh durians to China, signed in July 2022, will automatically be renewed for 3 years without requiring re-signing.