Vietnam expects to increase fresh fruit exports to the US and Australianext year following the US government's approval of irradiation as aneffective quarantine system.
Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Cao Duc Phat said on July 5 the ministry would work with theMinistry of Science and Technology (MST) to fund upgrades to anirradiation centre in Hanoi, aiming to meet the north's demand forexporting agricultural products.
Previously the centre irradiatedsome agricultural products such as onions, garlic and dried medicinalherbs, but it operated on a small scale and not professionally, said CaoDinh Thanh, Deputy Head of Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute.
2015is the first year Vietnam has sent lychee to the US and Australia,where there are strict quarantine regulations on fruits. The north musttransfer its lychee crops to the south for irradiation treatment untilthe new centre for irradiation becomes operational next year.
Phatassigned the Plant Protection Department and relevant agencies workingwith the Hanoi Irradiation Centre under the Vietnam Atomic EnergyInstitute to set up a plan to upgrade the centre. Vietnam has twoirradiation centres in the south approved by the US Department ofAgriculture.
Irradiating produce in Hanoi instead of shippingprojects south will help ensure product quality, reduce export costs andincrease buying prices for farmers' products. It would also move thenorth toward its long-term goal of exporting more regional products,Phat said.
Nguyen Xuan Hong, Head of the Plant ProtectionDepartment, said it worked with US partners to make sure longanproduction in northern Hung Yen and Hanoi satisfied safety standards forexport.
"If the irradiation centre is not upgraded in time, thenext longan crop will be transferred to the south for irradiationtreatment before export," Hong said.
Dang Quang Thieu, Directorof the Hanoi Irradiation Centre said, the upgrade was expected to cost30 billion VND (1.38 million USD).
"We imported the necessary equipment from Italy and the Republic of Korea," Thieu said.
"However,to meet the demand for fruit irradiation, we need 9 billion VND(416,000 USD) more to build and upgrade storehouses," Thieu said.
The system will irradiate for 40 to 50 tonnes of lychee and longan per day, Thanh said.
Irradiation is an alternative phytosanitary pest treatment that replaces toxic, outdated methods like toxic chemical fumigation.-VNA
Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Cao Duc Phat said on July 5 the ministry would work with theMinistry of Science and Technology (MST) to fund upgrades to anirradiation centre in Hanoi, aiming to meet the north's demand forexporting agricultural products.
Previously the centre irradiatedsome agricultural products such as onions, garlic and dried medicinalherbs, but it operated on a small scale and not professionally, said CaoDinh Thanh, Deputy Head of Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute.
2015is the first year Vietnam has sent lychee to the US and Australia,where there are strict quarantine regulations on fruits. The north musttransfer its lychee crops to the south for irradiation treatment untilthe new centre for irradiation becomes operational next year.
Phatassigned the Plant Protection Department and relevant agencies workingwith the Hanoi Irradiation Centre under the Vietnam Atomic EnergyInstitute to set up a plan to upgrade the centre. Vietnam has twoirradiation centres in the south approved by the US Department ofAgriculture.
Irradiating produce in Hanoi instead of shippingprojects south will help ensure product quality, reduce export costs andincrease buying prices for farmers' products. It would also move thenorth toward its long-term goal of exporting more regional products,Phat said.
Nguyen Xuan Hong, Head of the Plant ProtectionDepartment, said it worked with US partners to make sure longanproduction in northern Hung Yen and Hanoi satisfied safety standards forexport.
"If the irradiation centre is not upgraded in time, thenext longan crop will be transferred to the south for irradiationtreatment before export," Hong said.
Dang Quang Thieu, Directorof the Hanoi Irradiation Centre said, the upgrade was expected to cost30 billion VND (1.38 million USD).
"We imported the necessary equipment from Italy and the Republic of Korea," Thieu said.
"However,to meet the demand for fruit irradiation, we need 9 billion VND(416,000 USD) more to build and upgrade storehouses," Thieu said.
The system will irradiate for 40 to 50 tonnes of lychee and longan per day, Thanh said.
Irradiation is an alternative phytosanitary pest treatment that replaces toxic, outdated methods like toxic chemical fumigation.-VNA
