The EU has recently decided to temporarily increase the frequency of border inspections from 10 percent to 20 percent on Vietnamese durian.

EU authorities have discovered Carbendazim, Fipronil, Azoxystrobin, Dimethomorph, Metalaxyl, Lambda-cyhalothrin and Acetamiprid with high residues on durian imported from Vietnam. 

The maximum residue limit (MRL) of these active ingredients is 0.005-0.1 mg/kg, The MRLs found on Vietnamese durian were 0.021-6.3 mg/kg, exceeding the EU's allowed level.

Ngo Xuan Nam, deputy director of SPS Vietnam under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said export markets have informed farmers about the changes in their regulations on food hygiene and SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) of farm/forestry/seafood imports.

The markets have released 1,029 notices about food hygiene and his SPS Office issues  three notices a day, including notices with hundreds of pages. The regulations on ceiling plant protection chemical residues applied to other products, such as dragonfruit and coffee, have also changed.

Japan, for example, in November 2024 alone, issued 10 notices about new plant protection chemical standards, with the ceiling residue level on some kinds of plants 10 times lower than previously applied.

The notices are mostly from World Trade Organization markets that Vietnam trades with, such as the EU, South Korea, Japan and China.

Bui Xuan Phong, head of MARD’s Plant Protection Division, said that to develop sustainable agriculture, farmers need to think carefully and only use chemicals when necessary.

“Before spraying pesticides, farmers should ask themselves if they really have to use plant protection chemicals. Other measures, such as pruning, field sanitation, or using natural enemies should be considered before pesticides,” he said.

“Farmers should only use pesticides when absolutely necessary, that is, when pests may cause serious economic damages, and other measures are no longer effective,” he said.

He said that farmers can only use allowed pesticides and must not willingly mix pesticides. If they can use pesticides in the right way, farm produce will be able to meet the requirements set by domestic and foreign markets.

Also, farmers need to strictly comply with the ‘four rights’ principle – right chemicals, right time, right concentration and right method.

Nguyen Hoang Son from CropLife said reputable sale agents are equipped with professional knowledge and are responsible for the products they sell. So, farmers can ask the agents, or carefully read the labels on products.

Tam An