More opportunities to sustainably export dragon fruit to the EU market

The project “Vietnam Tropical Fruit Quality Improvement” (project) funded by the Dutch Government with training activities, technology support and field practice… has been started, opening up more sustainable export opportunities. stabilize dragon fruit to the EU market.

In recent years, the area of ​​dragon fruit in Vietnam has expanded rapidly, reaching about 50,000-60,000 hectares. The output of dragon fruit depends heavily on the Chinese market, so it is easy not be able to sell when problems arise. That is shared by Mr. Peter Prins - Project Coordinator, at the webinar introducing the project, organized by Eurofins Sac Ky Hai Dang Co., Ltd., a member of the Eurofins Scientific global testing group. Mr. Peter Prins also said: Part of the project's goal is to remove this difficulty and expand the export capacity to the EU market for dragon fruit in Vietnam.

The project also aims to help farmers cultivate properly, creating products that meet EU importers' technical standards; connecting business opportunities between the Dutch importer and the producer of tropical fruits in Vietnam.

The project “Vietnam Tropical Fruit Quality Improvement” supports Vietnamese dragon fruit to have the opportunity to sustainably export to the EU

The project does not intentionally change farming habits too much but offers tools, solutions, and irrigation technology to help farmers have more efficient crops. In particular, the project will introduce and apply Eurofins' soil quality control technology for dragon fruit in the Netherlands. In the project, there will be field trials on crop care techniques, fertilizing according to the project's recommendations and procedures. The results will be widely published to spread to many other manufacturers.

“During the survey in Vietnam, the project team found that, if the farming process of farmers is supported more in information, application of science and technology, and especially more help from Dutch experts will contribute to improving the quality of dragon fruit, meeting the requirements of a fastidious market like the EU”, shared Mr. Peter Prins.

From many years of experience, searching and developing a source of qualified fruit in Vietnam to supply retail chains in the EU and UK, Mr. John Dufill - CEO John Crop Development Vietnam - said: Control properly and sufficiently Residues of pesticides are a very important factor for dragon fruit to be accepted in the EU market. Exporters should have a list of permitted and prohibited pesticides and their own residue requirements for each importer to supply and negotiate with growers.

At the same time, continuously monitor the pesticides used and the time of harvest to ensure residues do not exceed thresholds. "Changes in the cultivation process need to be discussed with partners to capture information and agreement, do not arbitrarily change active ingredients during the cultivation process", Mr. John Dufill emphasized.

Agreeing with the above view, Mr. Vuong Quang Huy - Technical Manager, Eurofins Sac Ky Hai Dang Co., Ltd - said: Control of pesticide residues in the EU is one of the strictest standards in the world. Control items are different from other markets, combined with specific standards from importers are big challenges. Particularly for dragon fruit, EC regulation No396/2002 requires testing of at least 510 active ingredients, of which 332 are using the MRL threshold (maximum allowable residue) in the default form of 0.01mg/ kg. In which, there are 3 groups of active ingredients that are enhanced with interest, control and special interest: Dithiocarbamate, Phenthoate, Quinalphos.

Although there are many challenges, according to Mr. John Dufill, the EU market is not only the Netherlands but also countries in Western Europe and Eastern Europe have the great export potential for Vietnam's dragon fruit. Compared to many markets, the EU requires very high technical standards. The vast majority of customers require to meet Global GAP, CSR, testing requirements, medical certificates... However, the standard barrier in the EU is not to prevent the ability to increase exports of dragon fruit as well as dragon fruit. Vietnamese agricultural products open up opportunities for mutual development and sustainable export when manufacturers in Vietnam meet the right requirements. Therefore, Mr. John Dufill said that: There are 3 points that Vietnamese dragon fruit producers need to pay attention to, in which, must comply with technical standards, the main point is to control pesticide residues; stable product quality; has a reliable supply program that is not discontinued once a long-term supply agreement is signed.

Viet Nga - Cong Thuong Newspaper

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