Chinese authorities enforce stricter inspections after a durian shipment was rejected for lack of BY2 certificate
Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has committed to improve quality control on all fruit exports with Chinese authorities tightening inspections after rejecting a durian shipment.
According to Thai PBS, a shipment of Thai durian was refused entry to China after arrival at Nanning airport in Guangxi province on 11 January. The shipment lacked a certificate confirming that it was free of the prohibited chemical BY2, which is used in textile, paper, paint and leather colouration.
Following the detection, The General Administration of Customs of China instructed all Chinese customs checkpoints to ensure that all durian shipments from Thailand have a BY2 lab test certificate.
The Thai government has moved quickly to address the situation. According to a report from The Nation, the ministry’s fruit board met and approved raising quality control on export fruits to 10 per cent, covering cadmium, durian worms and sulphur dioxide in longans.
Agriculture and cooperatives minister Narumon Pinyosinwat, said she would join Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in talking with the General Administration of Customs of China to affirm Thailand’s new strict measures designed to boost confidence in the quality of Thai fruit and vegetables.
