Relief for Thai exports as China reopens land checkpoints for durians
China has reopened all of its land Customs clearance checkpoints for Thai durians after closing them in the middle of this month, an adviser to the agriculture minister said on Friday.
Alongkorn Pollabutr said he had received a report from the Thai agricultural office in Guangzhou that China has allowed the import of Thai durians at the Pingxiang border checkpoint with Vietnam on Friday after it had earlier gradually reopened other border checkpoints to facilitate delivery of the fruit.
China had blocked Thai durians from April 12 to 14 after traces of Covid-19 virus were found in a fruit shipment at the Mohan border checkpoint.
Alongkorn, who is also chairman of the forward committee on solving problems related to Thai fruits, said the reopening of the Pingxiang checkpoint would speed up export of durians to China.
“All the major checkpoints have been reopened for Thai durians and other fruits, including the Youyiguan Border Gate, the Donxing Border Gate and the Mohan Border Gate,” Alongkorn said.
“This is good news for Thai farmers who grow durians and other fruits. But please make sure that your products will not be contaminated with Covid-19 virus again.”
China has a zero Covid policy and imported fruits are put through stringent tests, causing a big headache for Thai fruit exporters.
The Mohan border checkpoint in China had issued Thai durian exporters an ultimatum to resolve their Covid-19 problem in five days, starting Monday, failing which they will be banned, Sanchai Puranachaikiri, president of the Thai Fresh Fruit Traders and Exporters Association, said.
Last week, durian exporters in Chanthaburi province carried out a Big Cleaning Day to ensure durians from the province would not be contaminated again.
