PUBLISHED: 18 Feb 2025 at 06: 10
After tightening its food security and pollution testing procedures, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is convinced that Thai fruit will continue to be China’s best option.
After making an official visit to China earlier this month, Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat discussed Thai fruit imports with Minister Sun Meijun, the minister of the General Administration of Customs of China ( GAC ).
According to her, Thailand exports the most fruits to China, with Thai durian holding the top market share of 57 %.
According to Ms Narumon, Thailand exports at least 130-140 billion bass fair of durian each month. In 2025, the price is anticipated to increase.
She claimed that the Department of Agriculture ( DoA ) was given the instructions to follow pre-export screening measures as requested by the GACC in light of a report about contamination of Thai durians exported to China that contained the carcinogenic food coloring substance Basic Yellow 2.
The National Fruit Product Development and Management Policy Committee, or the Fruit Board, was also ordered to support monitor for BY2 and other harmful substances, such as copper, and insects, and put laboratories on reserve to carry contamination inspections.
She claimed that more laboratories are needed because of the Thai fruit ‘ ever-growing requirement, which accounts for at least 100 billion baht of annual revenue, but that at least five have been instructed to do so.
In a related release, Ms. Narumon claimed that as part of its effort to trade Thai meat and live animals to China, the government had set up a confinement facility for cattle in Chiang Rai.
She claimed that the government has attempted to import cattle products to China since 2019 but encountered difficulties because Thailand is on the watch listing for animal outbreaks of hands, foot, and mouth diseases.
Measures to ensure animals health standards, including isolation, were introduced and included in the cattle trade report to GACC next year.
Before animals are shipped along the Mekong River or transported by rail to China, the tent, in her opinion, conducts actual investigations of exported animals.
The Beef Board, a committee responsible for developing the national policy for beef cattle and buffalo products, even approved the purchase of more vaccines, lowering the percentage of cattle stocks that are disease-protected from 50 to 100 %. Ms Narumon added.