Bình Phước Province is working on helping durian farmers export their fruits to China. – VNA Photo

BÌNH PHƯỚC – Bình Phước Province is helping durian farmers adopt safe production practices and issuing farming area codes to be able to export to the lucrative Chinese market.

China, the largest importer of fresh Vietnamese durian, has allowed import of the fruit via official channels since July 12, but the fruits have to be grown in registered farming areas and comply with stringent quality and traceability standards.

Long Phú Co-operative Group and others in the province have been acquiring farming area codes for durian farmers to meet these requirements.

The co-operative, a front-runner in adopting clean farming practices, is currently finalising paperwork to be able to export to China.

According to Nguyễn Hữu Nam, its chairman, adopting organic farming practices can be costly and difficult, but it yields higher quality and healthier durians, helping farmers obtain certifications such as Viet GAP for exports.

Bình Phước has over 3,400 hectares of land under durian, with half already obtaining farming area codes to ensure traceability or being in the process of doing so.

Some durian farming areas have also invested in cold storage to preserve the fruits.

Several years ago the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development began encouraging durian farmers to join co-operative groups and get codes by following good farming practices to prepare for official exports.

Lê Thị Ánh Tuyết, its deputy director, said the province would have 7,000 - 10,000 hectares under durian in the next few years, or around 10 per cent of the country’s total.

Some farmers remained set in old ways and could not adapt to the stricter requirements, she said.

“To ensure steady output, we will facilitate adoption of technology and bring together businesses and farmers. We will focus on helping farmers adopt modern technologies and techniques to create large intensive durian farming areas for exports.”

Bình Phước has favourable conditions for growing durian, especially its red basaltic soil with an abundance of sulphur, which reduces cultivation time and enhances fruit quality. – VNS