Fresh Vietnamese Jackfruit Approved for Import Into China

On Dec. 19, the General Administration of Customs of China announced via its website that fresh Vietnamese jackfruit meeting the stipulated phytosanitary requirements would be permissible for import into China.

Vietnamese jackfruit have long been exported to China, primarily through informal cross-border trade channels, leading to pronounced price volatility with frequent sharp declines during peak harvest periods. Vietnam currently has approximately 84,000 hectares of jackfruit plantations, mainly concentrated in Ben Tre and Tien Giang provinces in the Mekong Delta, with an annual output exceeding 1 million metric tons. In 2024, Vietnam’s jackfruit export value stood at approximately $146 million. As exports to China transition to formal trade channels, this is expected to rise significantly.

According to the GACC announcement, a total of nine quarantine pests of concern have been identified by China. These include the breadfruit fruit fly (Bactrocera umbrosa), mealybug Dysmicoccus lepelleyi, gray pineapple mealybug (Dysmicoccus neobrevipes), jackfruit borer moth (Glyphodes caesalis), coffee mealybug (Planococcus lilacinus), passionvine mealybug (Planococcus minor), mango mealybug (Rastrococcus invadens), Philippine mango mealybug (Rastrococcus spinosus) and stellate scale (Vinsonia stellifera).

Orchards intending to export fresh jackfruit to China must establish robust quality management and traceability systems, adhere to good agricultural practices and integrated pest management techniques, and maintain orchard hygiene by ensuring no nearby sources of contamination, promptly removing rotten or fallen fruits, and discarding spoiled produce.

During the packing process, jackfruit destined for export to China must undergo procedures such as cleaning, sorting, grading and the removal of damaged fruits to ensure that shipments are free from insects, mites, rotten fruits, branches, leaves, roots and soil. The fruit surface should be cleaned using high-pressure air or water jets, and brushing is also required. Where necessary, the surface may be manually wiped with a soft, clean cotton cloth to effectively remove insects, insect eggs and pathogenic spores.

In the first year of exports, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is required to take random samples from 2% of fresh jackfruit bound for China to check for the presence of pests of concern. The sampling rate will be lowered to 1% if there are no quarantine problems within the first year. However, the occurrence of contaminated jackfruit will lead to the rejection of the whole shipment by China or even suspension of exports from the involved orchards and packing plants for the remainder of the season.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.