Vietnam Financial News Network

On October 10, the Japanese government lifted its embargo on Vietnamese dragon fruit. This was good news for local farmers and exporters as they will return to the market after nearly ten years of suspension.

Tropical countries like Vietnam enjoy a rich variety of fruits. However, pests are always a big problem. Melon fly is a dangerous pest on plants that destroys around 20% of Vietnam’s dragon fruit crops. Fresh fruit importers around the world usually perform strict inspections for the insect to prevent plant epidemics in their home countries, says Le Duc Khanh, deputy head of the insect research department under the Plant Protection Research Institute.

Local specialists for many years have carried out various methods to treat melon fly on dragon fruit such as biological poisoning or irradiation. Dragon fruit exports in late 2008 resumed to the U.S. after six years of suspension as Vietnam’s irradiation technology met up with the importer’s standards.

For the Japanese market, importers have asked local experts to treat melon fly on dragon fruit with hot steam. After several years of research, the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development successfully applied the treatment method late last year under consultancy of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), says department vice director Dam Quoc Tru.

The ministry also asked Japan’s plant inspection offices to allow Vietnamese dragon fruit to enter Japan last year as local experts were able to eliminate melon fly in the fruit as required by the choosy market, according to Tru.

Japan-based Yasaka Fruit Processing Co. Ltd. inaugurated a US$4 million processing factory in Binh Duong Province in July that can treat melon fly on 4,000 tons of dragon fruit each year. This is the first factory in Vietnam to provide hot steam treatment.

In addition, Vietnamese dragon fruit and other products enjoy 0% tariff in Japan since early this month due to the Japan-Vietnam Economic Partnership Agreement.

Clean production remains key

After Japan lifted the embargo, the Plant Protection Department invited relevant Japanese departments to inspect melon fly treatment processes in Vietnam. The inspectors are examining the Yasaka factory. The first batch of dragon fruit will arrive in Japan early next month if no problems are found, Tru says.

The Plant Quarantine Sub-Department of Region II in HCMC will also check Vietnamese dragon fruit before sending it aboard.

However, melon fly treatment at factories is just the final step in the production process, says Nguyen Huu Dat, director of the Post-Import Plant Quarantine Center II, the partner of Japanese experts who consult with local dragon fruit farmers and exporters.

“It is necessary for dragon fruit farms and processing factories to apply clean production standards and treat melon fly right at the farms with biological methods,” Dat says. The U.S. requires clean production certificates for Vietnamese fruits and so does Japan.

Vietnam has 14,000 hectares of dragon fruit farming with an annual output of 200,000 tons. Binh Thuan Province has around 10,000 hectares and the rest is in Long An and Tien Giang provinces. Over the past two years, relevant departments from both countries have joined hands with foreign experts to help farmers plant the fruit in compliance with VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) standards to meet the demands of importers worldwide.

Japan also strictly inspects for chemical residues on all foods.