VietNamNet Bridge - The US and Australia have announced they are willing to import Vietnamese litchis in large quantities, but businesses must meet strict import requirements.

Vietnamese litchi and longan, in order to be able to enter the US market, have to satisfy requirements on food hygiene set by the US Department of Agriculture. The trees must be grown in registered areas and supervised by the Vietnam Agency for Plant Protection to be sure there is no germ in fruits. 

The fruits must be irradiated before they are shipped abroad. Meanwhile, exporters must show the certificates on the origin and food hygiene for every consignment of exports.

Australia has also set similar strict requirements on litchi imports from Vietnam. The products must be irradiated before they are exported and can only enter Australia if they can satisfy the Australian quarantine standards.

Dr. Dang Kim Son from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said radiating fruits is the optimal solution to control insects. However, having fruit radiated will be a problem for exporters due to technological problems in Vietnam.

According to Hoang Trung, deputy head of MARD’s Plant Protection Agency, there are 30 radiation technology application centers in the country. Only several can provide food radiation service at a semi-industrial scale. 

Meanwhile, as most of the centers are located in the south, exporters in the north will have to bring fruits to the south for radiation.

There is only one radiation center in the north, which is under the National Atomic Energy Institute. However, the center has been mostly conducted sample analyses and healthcare experiments. 

The problem is that litchis are mostly grown in northern provinces, while Australia wants the imports radiated at centers recognized by the Plant Protection Agency, including Son Son and An Phu in the south. 

Relevant ministries have decided to upgrade the Hanoi Radiation Center to be able to radiate the fruits for export. It will be necessary to install more equipment, depots and cold storehouses.

After the upgrading process, Vietnam would have to invite US and Australian specialists to examine the radiation center. Only when the center is recognized as satisfying the requirements will it be able to begin operation.

It is expected that the center would be put into operation by the end of 2015, when all procedures are completed.

The radiation service fee in Vietnam is approximately $1 per kilo of fruit, which is four times higher than in Thailand and six to eight times higher than in China.

DDDN