December 03, 2023 | VnExpress |
A batch of over five tons of Vietnamese durian and chili was destroyed in Japan in October due to pesticide levels exceeding the country's standards. The durian contained 0.03 ppm of procymidone (above the 0.01 ppm standard), while the chili had 0.2 ppm of tricyclazole and 0.03 ppm of hexaconazole (against 0.01 ppm standards for both). The pesticides, approved in many countries, are not necessarily harmful to consumers. Japan is a stringent market, and similar incidents have occurred with other countries. Japan is Vietnam's third-largest export market for agriculture, forestry, and seafood, accounting for 7.4% of total exports in the first 10 months. Durian exports to Japan declined 12.3% year-on-year to $1.3 million.