China has cut off some Vietnamese durian imports. Is a ‘gold rush’ tarnishing quality?

China’s customs officials have stopped shipments of durian from 33 Vietnamese sources this month, raising quality questions amid rush to gain market share

Reading Time:3 minutes

China’s ravenous appetite for durian has led to an explosion in fresh fruit imports from countries like Thailand, Vietnam and now Malaysia. Photo: Simon Song

Published: 4:30am, 27 Jun 2024Updated: 1:49pm, 27 Jun 2024

China suspended imports of Vietnamese durians from 33 sources this month, in a move suggesting some growers may have cut corners to quickly enter its vast, competitive market – and providing an opening for a slew of eager competitors to step in.

The General Administration of Customs told officials in Vietnam in a letter on June 11 that it would stop shipments from 18 durian plantations and 15 packers over excessive amounts of “heavy metals” in the fruits.

China had initially deemed 33 plantations and 40 packers “unsuitable” in the letter, which was posted by several Chinese and Vietnamese news outlets.

The document said customs officials chose which ones to suspend based on domestic laws, a bilateral agreement and an abiding interest in minimising damage to the durian trade.

Vietnam’s swiftly expanding share of sales for the spiky, pungent and lucrative fruits in China – the world’s biggest durian market by a wide margin – may have pushed growers to seek volume at the expense of quality.

“Even though Vietnamese durian growers can benefit from exporting to China, the sudden rise in exports without quality control may harm the prestige of Vietnamese durians in the long term,” said Nguyen Thanh Trung, a political scientist at Fulbright University Vietnam.