China issues alert, halts some durian shipments from Thailand over cadmium fears

The level of cadmium might exceed the limit of 0.05 milligrams per kilogram set by China, the South China Morning Post reported.

Prayoon Insakul, permanent secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, said initial investigations indicated that the contaminated durians did not originate from southern Thailand, where the fruit is being harvested.

China has not implemented a full ban on Thai durians, allowing exports of the fruit to proceed normally.

Thai authorities have initiated investigations, collecting durian, soil, water, and production input samples to test for cadmium. Early results are within China's safety limits, according to the Thai News Agency.

Sources said the cadmium-contaminated durians likely came from another country. Prayoon noted that authorities are looking to resolve the issue without disrupting exports.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow earlier said Chinese authorities found contamination in a total of 16 shipments involving at least 15 farms and 12 packaging facilities, the Bangkok Post reported at the end of August.

Thailand’s Department of Agriculture is stepping up efforts to curb illegal durian imports from neighboring countries, which pose a threat to the fruit's prices and quality standards.

Phatchayaphon Muenjang, the department’s deputy director-general, said stricter measures have been enforced to prevent imported durians from being falsely labeled and exported as Thai products to China, Thai newspaper The Nation reported.

He has been assigned to oversee the implementation of policies designed to produce high-quality durians for export to China, which involve intensifying inspection and certification processes, enhancing export capabilities, and making sure all imported durians are properly declared and inspected.

"The aim is to stabilize farmers’ income and product prices, which could be affected by illegal smuggling, particularly with regard to fresh Thai durians, a vital agricultural product for the national economy," he said.

According to the agriculture department, Thailand shipped 714,334 tons of durians worth at least 94 billion baht (US$2.84 billion) to China in the year to date.

It currently has 218,922 farms and 2,038 packaging plants with Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) certification, which is required to export certain fruits, including durian, to China.