MARD requests meticulous probe on the returned durian lots

Restructuring must focus on three product axes

On April 1st, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) conducted its usual quarterly press conference to present updates on the ministry's production guidance and management for the first three months of the year, as well as certain major responsibilities for the coming time. Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of MARD, attended and chaired the meeting.

Concerning the agriculture situation in the first quarter, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien indicated that the agriculture sector suffered substantial pressure from saline intrusion, plant and animal illnesses, and returned shipments in the early months of the year, although this was not exhaustive. As a result, the agriculture sector continued to see good development in numerous industrial categories, with agricultural, forestry, and aquatic product-added value increasing by 2.98%.

Rice output was over 8 million tons (up 2.1%), meat production was more than 2 million tons (up 4.5%), aquatic products were more than 1.9 million tons (up 2.2%), and wood production was 6.5 million cubic meters. In the first three months of the year, the total export turnover of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic goods was projected at USD 13.53 billion, up 21.8%, with a trade surplus of USD3.36 billion (up 96.5% and accounting for 41.5% of the overall economy's trade surplus value).

Industry groups that had declined the previous year showed signals of good development, particularly when credit institutions implemented the 15 trillion VND loan package to help the forestry and aquatic industries. All export product groupings grew as compared to the same quarter previous year, resulting in an export turnover of USD13.53 billion. Timber, fruits and vegetables, rice, and coffee were the four export goods valued at more than USD1 billion each.

However, the Deputy Minister stated that the agriculture industry is actively preparing for the future months owing to unexpected weather patterns, illnesses in fields, livestock, and aquatic goods, inadequate agricultural infrastructure, and difficulties in processing and deep processing. The challenge of market development remains centered on large markets such as the United States, China, and Europe.

"So, restructuring must continue to focus on three product axes: national, regional, and local items", Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien underlined that this ecosystem must be tightly connected to restructuring in order to secure internal food security while also promoting robust exports.

Durian, cattle diseases, and forest carbon credits

The incident of 30 batches of Vietnamese durians exported to China contaminated with high amounts of cadmium, which exceeds China's food safety regulations, is one of the topics that the press noted and has raised questions to the MARD leadership.

Regarding this problem, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu, Head of the International Cooperation and Communication Division (Plant Protection Department), made it clear that China has reported 30 batches since Vietnam began exporting fresh durians to the Chinese market on September 17, 2022. Currently, there is no impact on durian exports in general. China, on the other hand, has cautioned Vietnam to identify and address the root causes of the problem.

Regarding the causes, Mr. Hieu stated that durians may be polluted with heavy metals during growing, such as contaminated soil or water sources, air pollution from factories, or during the harvesting process, when individuals use water to process durians.

As a result, the Plant Protection Department recommends that production units alter input materials, conduct certain growing practices, and utilize organic fertilizers correctly. Before exporting, quality should be examined to prevent risks if China announces or implements certain actions.

In connection to this problem, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien stated that durian has been a popular crop in recent years. In 2023, durian exports will exceed USD 2.2 billion.

The Deputy Minister also underlined that the Ministry has consistently directed criteria for raw material regions, such as planting zone codes, packaging and pre-processing codes, processing, and trade promotion, over the last year. With a rising amount of agricultural product shipments being exported, the problem of quality and branding must be addressed.

The Deputy Minister stated that the Ministry has tasked the Plant Protection Department with reviewing, considering, thoroughly understanding the causes, and proposing solutions to meet the requirements of the Chinese market as well as other potential markets where Vietnamese agricultural products excel.

Regarding the problematic evolution of rabies in recent years, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien stated that there would be 82 rabies deaths nationally in 2023, with over 10,000 people required to get rabies vaccines. Rabies occurred during the first three months of 2024, killing 27 people.

"The government, MARD, and the Ministry of Health are arranging a meeting to implement rabies prevention methods for dogs and cats. With a total population of 76 million dogs and cats, vaccination is a critical problem, although some localities have vaccination rates below 10%. For population immunity, the vaccination rate must be more than 80%. Given this scenario, the government has given orders; at the conference, the two ministries provided coordinated solutions with clear directions for implementation," Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien stated.

Forest carbon credits are also of interest to the media. Mr. Tran Quang Bao, Director of the Forestry Department, revealed that Vietnam has officially earned USD 51.5 million (about 1,200 billion VND) from the sale of 10.3 million forest carbon credits to the World Bank. Currently, 80% of the budget has been assigned to six provinces in the North Central area, with more allocations to be finalized in the following months. The MARD has created a strategy to distribute benefits and is undertaking training to ensure that community-based areas benefit from this budget.