The Chinese media said that the shipment of 18.24 tonnes of durian, worth 512,400 yuan (72,700 USD), marks an important milestone as it is the first fruit from a member of RCEP agreement to be officially approved to enter the market of 1.4 billion people. Vietnam also became the second country in ASEAN, after Thailand, to officially export fresh durian products to China.
A representative of the company conducting the export of the durian said that the transportation time to the Huu Nghi border gate took only two hours, so the durian was very fresh.
In addition, with the facilitation of customs forces such as opening a separate clearance lane for fresh agricultural products, the clearance speed of Vietnamese durian products has been significantly improved. So, it takes very little time for Vietnamese durian from gardens to reach Chinese consumers.
The local media said that Vietnamese durian has a long harvest season with short transportation distance and low cost, which can help Chinese consumers buy imported durian at a more reasonable price.
According to Huu Nghi customs representative, the customs force strictly implemented the quarantine and testing of the batch of durian, regarding growing areas, packing facility and quarantine management including online inspection, to ensure food safety and product quality.
The Chinese customs also opened a separate channel for the import of fresh fruit products to help shorten the clearance time for imported fruit products, including durian.
There are 66 types of fruit from nine countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia, that have been approved for official export to the Chinese market. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which shares the border line with Vietnam, has become the main import channel for fruit products from ASEAN to China.
