VietNamNet Bridge Worms illegally imported from China could harm domestic agriculture and damage the soil.

The border police have reportedly seized many consignments of worms illegally brought from China to Vietnam in recent days.

Pham Van Minh from Chi Lang District’s Police in the border province of Lang Son said the worms, together with poultry breeders and poultry products, are carried in luxury cars from Lang Son to lowland localities for sale.

Recently, Minh and his colleagues discovered a case in which 1,500 kilos of worms were brought from China. Just several days before, the Lang Son City Police also reportedly seized an illegal shipment of nearly 100 kilos of worms in nine plastic boxes.

The carriers told the police that they were going to cities in the north to sell the worms to traders and ornamental bird keepers.

A kilo of worms is priced at 3-4 yuan in China, or VND13,000-14,000, while consumers have to pay VND25,000 for one kilo in Vietnam.

An official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said that all the “strange products” available in the domestic market are illegal imports, because breeding these species of worms is prohibited in Vietnam.

Nguyen Thi Ha, head of the Plant Quarantine Sub-agency Region 7, which is in charge of Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces, also confirmed that the worms and cockroaches are illegal imports.

Ha said that the customs and border police, which bear the task of fighting smuggling, must take responsibility for the illegally imported worms.

Nguyen Xuan Hong from MARD said pestilent insects are a problem in tropical Vietnam. Under current regulations, the import of all species of worms is banned in Vietnam.

Hong said that MARD is cautious about the import of unfamiliar organisms, because the lack of control would lead to severe consequences.

The uncontrolled development of exotic creatures could harm Vietnam’s farms and the environment.

Most recently, the ministry decided to interrupt fruit imports from Australia after hearing news about fruit fly epidemics in the country.

Hoang Trung, a high-ranking MARD official, noted that these worms were brought by some merchants to Vietnam several years ago.

MARD then instructed its local departments to deal with the problem. However, the Chinese worms have turned up again in the Vietnamese market.

Trung said the worms used as feed for ornamental birds have a common characteristic in that they can eat many different kinds of food. Therefore, the worms are a big threat to Vietnam’s crops.

ANTD