A new protocol signed during China’s Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vietnam will allow Vietnam to export watermelon through official quotas to China.

The protocol is a crucial factor in establishing standards for, and boosting, Vietnam’s official agricultural exports to China.

It requires compliance with Chinese food safety regulations and standards and plant quarantine requirements.

Production, packing and exporting facilities in the country must also comply with the rules.

According to the protocol, watermelon shipped from Vietnam must not be contaminated with any of the five living species in China’s plant quarantine list.

All farming areas and packing facilities in Vietnam that produce watermelon for export to China must register and get approved by relevant agencies in both countries.

Farming areas must meet Good Agriculture Practices standards, and the farming and packaging of the fruit must be supervised by relevant agencies.

Packing facilities must develop a system to ensure that exports have clear sources and can be traced back to their farming zones.

Watermelon consignments must go through all stages of customs clearance in China while 2% will undergo plant quarantine.

For many years Vietnam has been exporting watermelon over the border to China, though not under the official quota, where it is well liked.

Since 2021 Vietnam has been improving the quality of its agricultural exports, ensuring they have clearly traceable origins and meet safety standards.

In the first 10 months of this year watermelon exports to China were worth US$44 million, up 162% from the same period last year.

The local watermelon season in China is from late April to September, and so the country usually imports the fruit between November and April.

Demand for the fruit also skyrockets during Lunar New Year as its red color is considered auspicious.

Currently 14 agricultural products have been approved for official export to China, including nine fruits: dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, mango, jackfruit, watermelon, banana, mangosteen, and durian.

VnExpress