
Thailand on Monday resumed durian exports to China following a temporary ban on the fruit, according to Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Itthi Sirilathayakorn.
Citing the Department of Agriculture (DoA), Mr Itthi said that 96 tonnes of durian worth 7.8 million baht would be shipped to China from Jan 20-21, with the exports made via border channels in Nakhon Phanom and Chiang Rai.
He said the shipments were strictly screened and certified to meet Chinese import requirements, which took effect on Jan 10 this year.
According to the deputy minister, the ministry had stepped up measures after China required testing of Basic Yellow 2, a carcinogenic colouring substance, in durian from Thailand and documents to certify that the products are free of it.
Mr Itthi also vowed to take drastic action against business operators who fail to comply with tightened contamination screening measures for produce before export.
He also thanked all relevant agencies, particularly the DoA, for making their best efforts to ensure that the durian exports could resume as planned.
According to the DoA, the General Administration of Customs in China (GACC) approved testing for Basic Yellow 2 in six laboratories in Thailand on Jan 17 and four more labs are expected to receive approval next week, which would allow for 1,300 samples to be tested daily.
On Jan 11, the ministry was told about durian exports being rejected at China's Nanning airport due to insufficient documents to certify they were free of Basic Yellow 2.
Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs, director-general of the DoA, said that certificates will be issued to shipments only if lab results report that Basic Yellow 2 is not detected and the cadmium level does not exceed the limit of 0.05 mg/kg.