China approves new export codes for Vietnam durian fruit

Vietnam exporting 35,000 tons of durian to China in the first four months of 2025, earning $130 million.

The recent expansion of the list of durian growing area codes and packing facility codes by the General Administration of Customs of China will create favorable conditions to increase exports to the Chinese market.

China has approved an additional 829 planting area codes and 131 packaging facility codes for Vietnam durian fruit, according to the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

A farmer inspects durians at his farm in Tiền Giang Province

This follows the submission of dossiers for 1,604 planting areas and 314 packaging facilities to the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).

With the new approvals, Việt Nam now has a total of 1,469 planting areas and 188 packaging facilities eligible to export Vietnam durian fruit to China. Authorities have urged localities and businesses to seize this opportunity while ensuring strict compliance with China’s plant quarantine and food safety regulations for sustainable market access.

The Plant Protection Department reported that Việt Nam currently has 12 laboratories certified to test for cadmium and eight for auramine O, two substances under close scrutiny by Chinese regulators.

Since the signing of the bilateral durian export protocol, over 90 per cent of Việt Nam’s durian output has been exported to China. However, the Chinese market poses challenges due to its unpredictability and frequent changes in import regulations.

Chinese traders also play a major role in Việt Nam’s durian value chain, from purchasing to distribution.

They said that China maintains high and rising technical standards, especially in food safety. Some Vietnamese enterprises and producers focus only on obtaining codes for planting areas and packaging facilities without ensuring continuous compliance with the protocol’s requirements. Code trading and falsification remain issues, making it difficult to trace origins and control quality.