China halts dragon fruit imports from Vietnam over Covid-19 concerns

China has imposed a four-week ban on dragon fruit imports from Vietnam after detecting COVID-19 in some previous shipments.

The ban, to last until January 26 on delivery through the Huu Nghi Border Gate in Lang Son Province, applies to four varieties of dragon fruit shipped from the central province of Binh Thuan and the southern province of Long An, reported VnExpress.

Chinese customs had detected the coronavirus in some consignments between November 20 and December 27.

Huu Nghi is the second largest border gate for dragon fruits exports to China, accounting for 5 per cent of the total, said Vo Huy Hoang, chairman of the Binh Thuan Province Dragon Fruit Association.

China earlier also banned imports through the biggest border gate, Tan Thanh in the same province, which accounts for 90 per cent of all dragon fruit shipped to that country, Hoang said.

He further stated that due to the ban, around 400 container trucks have returned from the border to sell the fruits in Vietnam at an estimated 30 per cent loss.

They will sell the fruit in Hanoi for VND2,500 (USD 0.11) per kilogram, or 10 per cent of the export price, reported VnExpress.

Other agriculture produce are also struggling to enter China, the biggest importer of Vietnamese fruits, since it has been tightening Covid safety measures for over a month, Vietnamese online newspaper reported.

It further reported that in Lang Son, 3,838 trucks were waiting to cross the border as of December 28, mostly with agricultural produce. Some drivers abandoned the plan to cross the border and instead sold their jackfruit in Hanoi at VND8,000-15,000 per kilogram, 60-70 per cent lower than the export price.

Meanwhile, China imported USD 8.4 billion worth of Vietnamese agriculture produce in the first 11 months of 2021, down 17 per cent year-on-year.