According to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, it submitted dossiers for 1,604 durian growing areas and 314 packing facilities to the GACC. As of May 21, the GACC has updated its approval list with 829 new growing area codes and 131 packing facility codes from Vietnam.

Speaking to VietNamNet, Nguyen Quang Hieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, confirmed that these are newly approved durian plantation and packing facility codes from Chinese authorities.

As of May 21, Vietnam now has over 1,400 officially approved growing area codes (after accounting for withdrawn codes) that qualify for formal export to China.

The GACC stated that expanding this list will facilitate enhanced durian exports to China. Local governments and businesses are urged to proactively capitalize on this opportunity while strictly adhering to phytosanitary and food safety regulations to ensure sustainable export growth.

In recent years, durian cultivation in Vietnam has expanded rapidly, reaching nearly 180,000 hectares. The country’s total durian output has also surged, expected to surpass 1.55 million tons by 2025.

However, under current regulations, only durians from GACC-approved growing regions are allowed entry into the Chinese market. Thus, the addition of new approved codes opens the door for Vietnam to significantly boost its durian export volume to China.

Leaders from the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection emphasized that the Chinese market is becoming increasingly demanding. Even minor violations related to chemical residues or traceability can lead to suspension of a growing area’s export rights. Therefore, maintaining each growing area code is no longer optional - it is a vital condition for exporting durians to this billion-consumer market.

Tam An