The Commerce Ministry has tried to convince Hong Kong authorities that durian from Thailand that was soaked in a yellowish substance is safe.
Duangkamol Jiambutr, spokesperson of the ministry, said on Monday that Hong Kong authorities were strictly checking durian from Thailand after they found a yellow substance on collected samples of Thai durian.
She explained that the substance was turmeric, a natural and safe colour additive.
Hong Kong barred the import of fruits soaked with any substance, including turmeric, while China accepted turmeric-treated durian. The problem arose as some small Hong Kong operators imported Thai durian through China to meet rising durian demand in Hong Kong, Mrs Duangkamol said.
China is the biggest market of Thai durian, followed by Hong Kong. Last year, Thailand exported durian worth 6.6 billion baht to Hong Kong and in the first four months of this year the value of durian exported to the special administrative region exceeded 1.2 billion baht.
Mrs Duangkamol also warned Thai exporters not to excessively use ripening agents on durian as Hong Kong authorities found unsafe levels of such agents in Thai durian samples.