BANGKOK (NNT) – The Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives has ordered serious action against unscrupulous importers selling off fruit from Vietnam as Thai durian, while Chinese media have voiced confidence that Thai authorities will remedy the situation.

The Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Chalermchai Sri-on has issued an order to take serious criminal and civil action against the scam, including removal of GAP and GMP certification from the exporters selling Vietnamese durians as being from Thailand, calling for an operation to root out sellers of unripe durians to be expanded to include the new offenders. The previous action helped increase the price of Thai durians and demand from China, but the minister conceded the improvement may also have led to the new illicit activity. He was speaking in particular of Chantaburi’s geographically identified durians.

Full story: National News Bureau of Thailand

Reporter: Praphorn Praphornkul,
Rewriter: Hugh Brammar
National News Bureau of Thailand