BANGKOK, April 18 (TNA) – The Fruit Board intensified measures to ensure that durian exports to China are free of COVID-19.
Alongkorn Polabutr, advisor to the minister of agriculture and cooperatives, said Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on, in his capacity as the chairman of the Fruit Board, assigned officials concerned to seriously cooperate with authorities in Chanthaburi province and the Thai Durian Association to prevent COVID-19 contamination among durian exports.
The order was in response to the report that China detected COVID-19 contamination in a container of Thai durian fruits exported to China, at the Mohan Border Checkpoint, and suspended its import of Thai durian from April 12 to 14.
Officials concerned would disinfect all durian wholesale facilities and conduct antigen tests on all their workers on April 22, Mr Alongkorn said.
The Mohan Border Checkpoint on the Yunnan-Laos border reopened to Thai durian fruits on April 15 and Thailand would not be lenient on its disease control measures because the peak season of fruits in eastern provinces was upcoming and the yields of durian, mangosteen, rambutan and longkong fruits of the East would exceed 1 million tons this year, Mr Alongkorn said. (TNA)
