Thai durians ‘chemicals, dye free’

The government has also sought to reassure the world market that Thai durians are free of all chemical residues, especially Basic Yellow 2 (BY2) dye, and it hopes to export 950,000 tonnes to China, the United States, Europe and India this year.

Thai exports of durian remain uncontaminated and free from chemical residues, Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan said.

Some Chinese consumers have lost confidence in Thai durians due to chemical use, the issue of which has been seen in China. Concerns over cadmium were raised last year, and this year there are problems over the use of BY2, a carcinogenic food colouring substance, he said on Thursday.

The ministry according to him laid out 2025 fruit management plans with seven core measures centering around ensuring quality controls and chemical contaminant prevention — with an especially heavy emphasis on BY2 residue as a concern.

In Chanthaburi province, authorities have enforced strict sanitation and inspection measures on durians to make sure they are free of residues.

On Wednesday, Mr Pichai, who met with Chanthaburi governor Monsit Paisarntanawat along with a number of underlying agencies, said the ministry was partnering with the Chinese Embassy to make on-site inspections in tha province to bolster global market faith.

He added that he had discussed with Wu Zhiwu, minister counsellor of the Chinese Embassy, the need to reinforce the stringency of Thailand’s inspection regime prior to export, and he asked China to ease its import scrutiny by performing random rather than full checks.

“It’s to avoid durian shipments being delayed, or possibly spoiled,” he added.

So far, durian sources reported no contamination issues and China has now reportedly started to ease the inspection process of Thai durians. To increase confidence further, Mr Pichai invited Mr Zhiwu and Chinese officials to Chanthaburi for verification in person.

The Commerce Ministry is monitoring the export trends given the fact that production is expected to rise by 37% to 1.76 million tonnes in May.

Its strategy comprises of domestic and international market expansion, enhancing the supply chain and enforcement of regulations. There are also efforts to promote Thai fruit exports to the United States, the European Union and India with planned shipments of no fewer than 950,000 tonnes valued at more than 10 billion baht, he said.

India’s prime minister will visit in April to discuss more Thai fruit exports to the country.

Thai durians are also up for Geographical Indication (GI) certification, the ministry said.