According to Sing Siam Daily, in view of China's strict inspection of phytosanitary and COVID-19 contamination, the Department of Agriculture of Thailand has formulated two standards, GAP Plus and GMP Plus, to build confidence in the Thai fruit market and meet the strict Chinese standards for imported fruit, especially durian. In addition, the Ministry of Agricultural Cooperation has also strengthened quarantine inspections, increased the team of closed-door inspection personnel, and improved the workability of personnel to detect pests and pesticide residues.
The Agriculture Department of the Ministry of Agricultural Cooperation and the Governor of Chanthaburi Province jointly investigated the existence of purchasing stations that purchase immature durians and continued to enforce laws against relevant illegal enterprises and individuals. The investigation found that the purchasing station purchased the durians of the Mon Thong variety originally scheduled to be picked on April 25, 2022, of which 17% were immature and tender durians, which did not meet the export standards. The farmers involved may have their GAP certificates revoked, and durian harvesting stations may also be at risk of having their export license (DOA) revoked. After the investigation, all unqualified raw durians were confiscated and sealed and sent to the Khlong Police Station, Chanthaburi Province, for further processing on March 30, 2022.
Ms. Mananya Thaiset, deputy Agriculture of Cooperatives Minister, expressed the hope that enterprises will be honest and trustworthy, strictly determine the date of picking durians, take preventive measures against the pandemic, and asked companies not to engage in things that damage the structure of durian exports because doing so will eventually lead to overall damage to durian exports.
In 2022, the production of durian, mangosteen, and rambutan in eastern Thailand will increase. Durian production is expected to be 744,549 tons, an increase of 169,007 tons or 29.36% year-on-year. The harvest of durian products starts from February to August this year, and most of the products will enter the market in May. Among them, Chanthaburi province is expected to produce 508,876 tons of durian in 2022.
Source: Sing Siam Daily