October 30, 2025 | Produce Report |
Vietnam is facing a major bottleneck in fresh durian exports as nearly 2,000 containers from Dak Lak province are stuck at border checkpoints and warehouses. The disruption was caused by the temporary suspension of laboratory testing for cadmium and auramine O — requirements for export to China. Some shipments have been delayed 10–15 days, causing grade A durian prices in storage to drop from over VND 100,000/kg to about VND 80,000/kg.
Laboratories stopped accepting samples on Oct. 11 due to equipment overload, breakdowns, and scheduled recalibration during the peak harvest season. Without pesticide and safety certificates, exporters cannot ship durians, forcing procurement to halt. Farmers are at risk of fruit spoilage or must sell cheaply to small buyers.
Although some labs resumed releasing older test results after an emergency meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture, acceptance of new samples remains limited. Vietnam currently has 24 labs certified by China, with a total capacity of about 3,200 samples per day — insufficient during peak harvest.
China’s slower durian consumption after major holidays has further increased inventories. From January to August, Vietnam’s fresh durian exports fell 24% in volume and 25% in value, while frozen durian exports grew sharply.
