Removing difficulties in durian production and consumption

(DTO) On the morning of December 10, in Binh Phu commune, Dong Thap province, the Dong Thap Provincial Sub-Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (CP&PP) - Department of Agriculture and Environment organized a Conference to guide the establishment of planting area codes (PAC) and packing facility codes (PFC). 

The conference was attended by representatives from communes and wards with large durian growing areas, and about 70 cooperatives and businesses involved in durian production and purchasing in the province.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Mr. Tran Thanh Tam, Director of the Dong Thap Provincial Sub-Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (CP&PP) stated that the province currently has approximately 35,000 hectares of durian area of which nearly 19,000 hectares are bearing fruit.

To date, the entire province has 350 planting area codes (PAC) for export to China and 111 packing facility codes (PFC). Previously, the CP&PP Department did not have guidelines for packing house owners and PAC owners on executing authorization procedures.

Following the merger of Tien Giang and Dong Thap provinces into the new Dong Thap province, there is a need for common guidelines for organizations, individuals, and cooperatives to register new PACs and PFCs, and to maintain and supervise planting areas and packing houses during operation to serve purchasing and export activities.

At the conference, the CP&PP Department provided guidance on the establishment of new registration, supervision, and maintenance of PFCs, as well as the quality control procedures for food safety concerning fresh durian for export.

Also at the conference, businesses and cooperatives raised difficulties and obstacles in current durian production and export activities, such as: the need to announce the list of PACs; overlap between domestic and export PACs; the need for solutions to control Cadmium levels in durian; and the limited number of testing rooms for Cadmium and Auramine O.

Simultaneously, they proposed that state management agencies implement solutions to remove difficulties to facilitate durian export.

In response to the proposals from businesses and cooperatives, Mr. Tran Thanh Tam provided specific explanations, information, and directions aimed at resolving difficulties for durian production and consumption.

ANH THU

Translated by XUAN QUANG