China opens fourth border gate for Thai fruit

The border gate, which is close to Vietnam, was also opened to alleviate congestion at the Mohan, Youyi Guan and Pingxiang border gates, which were initially used for the transportation of fruit from Thailand.

“The opening of the Dongxing border gate is great news for Thai fruit farmers and exporters, especially during the durian season in April and May,” Department of Agriculture’s director-general Phichead Wiriyaphaha said on Friday.

“China is one of the major importers of Thai fruits, ordering up to 22 varieties worth more than Bt100 billion annually,” he said.

In the first four months of this year, Thailand has exported 216,000 tonnes of durian worth more than THB21.6 billion to China.

“Once the Dongxing gate is opened, we expect the export of durian to rise significantly. The department is planning to boost personnel for issuing certificates of quality to speed up the export of fruit,” he said.

Phichead added that China now requires Thai fruits to either come from farms that have been given good agriculture practices or GAP certification or processed at good manufacturing practices (GMP) certified facilities.

“The General Administration of Customs of China [GACC] website lists 38,757 plantations and 1,587 food-processing facilities that can export fruit to China,” he said. “This marks a significant increase from the 30,076 plantations approved in 2020.”