A farmer works on his durian farm in Đồng Nai Prpvince. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

HÀ NỘI — The Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is completing procedures to facilitate the export of Vietnamese durian to India, said deputy director of the department Nguyễn Thị Thu Hương.

According to the official, Vietnamese fresh durian is exported to 24 markets, and the frozen fruit to 23 markets. In the first eight months of this year, Việt Nam exported over 300,000 tonnes of fresh durian.

According to the MARD, in the period under review, the export of fruit and vegetables reached US$3.45 billion, an increase of 57.5 per cent over the same period last year.

Export revenue from durian products alone was over $1.2 billion, accounting for 30 per cent of the total turnover and nearly three times that of the whole of last year ($420 million). The strong export growth in the second quarter of 2022 was a result of the signing of a protocol on plant quarantine requirements for fresh durian exports from Việt Nam to China.

Currently, Vietnamese durian is exported mainly to China. Việt Nam has 422 growing areas and 153 packaging facilities eligible to export the fruit to China.

Other 64 growing areas and 15 packaging facilities are completing procedures to have Chinese authorities grant codes for the export. In addition, more than 600 growing areas and 50 packaging facilities will apply for codes for the export of durian to China. — VNS