BY2 Contaminates Durian Exports, Meeting Tomorrow for Solution

The new regulations by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC), all batches of Thai durians imported into China through any entry point must now be accompanied by a test report certifying the absence of "Basic Yellow 2 (BY2)."

This substance is an organic compound in yellow powder form, commonly used for dyeing textiles, paper, leather, and house paints. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as a Group 2B carcinogen. The regulation has been in effect since January 10, 2025.

If Thai exporters fail to provide a lab test report confirming the absence of BY2, Chinese customs at all checkpoints will reject the durian shipments. 

To address this, Thailand’s Department of Agriculture has designated 13 laboratories capable of testing for BY2, with a combined capacity of over 3,000 samples per day. This is expected to be sufficient for the 2025 durian export season.

However, currently, half of these labs have been suspended by the GACC, causing significant disruptions in the market. 

As a result, from April 15, 2025, onwards, large-scale buyers have begun suspending durian purchases from local farmers while awaiting further actions from the Thai government.

These developments come ahead of a key negotiation meeting with the Chinese government on April 8, 2025.

Sanchai Puranachaikiri, advisor to the Thai Fruit Traders and Exporters Association, stated that the halt in durian purchases was intended as a signal to the government to acknowledge the gravity of the issue.

“This is no longer a problem solely under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. It has escalated into a national-level issue,” he said. “To be fair, the Ministry of Agriculture has been actively addressing the situation. However, at this point, the BY2 issue has evolved into a political matter at the national level.”

He added that in the past, BY2 has rarely been detected in Thai durian shipments, and when it was, the levels were extremely low.

“Today, we are staging a protest to urge the government, beyond just the relevant ministry, to take action. The Prime Minister must now acknowledge and address this issue diplomatically to resolve the crisis.”

“The current situation is extremely serious,” Sanchai said. “We recently discovered traces of BY2 in cardboard boxes, which has made the situation feel hopeless. This substance disperses easily—even just 2 micrograms is problematic. But the Chinese government has set the allowable level at zero. When you consider that the boxes are made from recycled paper, it makes sense that some dyes could be present. If we keep trying to solve the problem with quick fixes, we won’t get anywhere. Diplomatic intervention is now necessary, because the current conditions imposed by China are nearly impossible to meet."

He continued, "We need to propose a more reasonable standard: to require zero BY2 only in the edible flesh of the durian, not the entire fruit or packaging. This would be a more scientifically sound food safety measure. As for the lab closures, there must be transparency— the lab closures should be accompanied by measures specifying how many times a test result can be incorrect before a lab is shut down. There should also be clear details provided to the Ministry of Agriculture, not just an order to close the lab without further explanation."

This aligns with the statement from Montonn Pariwat, President of the Association of Durian and Mangosteen Exporters, who acknowledged that the Thai durian export situation in 2025 is indeed in crisis. He outlined key proposals from the association to the government:

1. Urgent diplomatic negotiations with China. Regardless of whether they succeed, discussions must begin immediately.

Thailand should propose that testing for contaminants like cadmium and BY2 continue, but using international standards.

Specifically, test results for durian flesh and peel should be separated. Exporters agree that the flesh should have a BY2 level of zero, but for the peel, Codex Alimentarius standards—already in effect—should be applied to allow for a realistic threshold.

This would help determine whether any contamination is from artificial coating or from natural sources such as dust, and not from carcinogenic substances. Currently, China requires zero contamination in both flesh and peel, which is overly stringent.

2. Reconsideration of GACC’s laboratory closures. Monthon noted that globally, it is not standard practice to shut down labs. Laboratories are merely one part of the export certification process, which varies between countries.

Typically, if a shipment is non-compliant, the importing country bans that specific shipment or exporter, not the entire lab. There is no international precedent for blanket lab shutdowns like those currently being enforced by China.

3. The closed labs only have orders to shut down, but there is no information about which batch, container, or company the issue pertains to, or which exporter or durian warehouse is involved. The closure orders mention the presence of BY2 but provide no further details.

"To sum it up, today we still haven't seen the durians that caused the lab closures. Therefore, all three points lead to the conclusion that the government needs to negotiate with the Chinese government for clarity and a response to the durians that will soon start coming out," said Montonn.

Similarly, Wuttichai Khunjet, President of the Thai Durian Association, stated that regarding the labs being closed, the Chinese authorities only issued orders to suspend those with problems.

This makes the situation appear quiet, and we must wait to see what measures will be put in place, as large batches of Monthong durians will be harvested after Songkran. However, a letter has been issued by the Chinese government suggesting that a middleman company based in Thailand be used to guarantee the results of the lab tests, which would allow durian exports to China. However, the Thai side did not accept this proposal.

" In my personal opinion, the Thai side already has certified labs for exports and should not allow any private companies to control this process, as it would interfere too much with Thailand's authority," Wuttichai said.

Natthakrit Olarnhiranrak, Vice President of the Thai-Chinese Agricultural Trade Association, posted on Facebook "Goodwill Goodwill," stating that " With more labs being suspended recently, by April 9, we may no longer have any certified labs for durian exports to China. Without this certification, durian warehouses will not be able to obtain export certificates, and what will the farmers do? Let's meet on April 8 at 10 am at the Chanthaburi Provincial Hall to demand the government take serious action to solve this issue so that the large batch of durians, which will start hitting the market after April 15, can be exported."