Farmers and exporters in Viet Nam and China are required to register their orchards and packing plants under a reciprocal agreement to provide each other detailed information on the origins of fruits they export to each other.

A farmer harvests dragon fruit in the central province of Ninh Thuan. Vietnam and China have signed an agreement requiring farmers and exporters to provide details of the origin of fruits they export to each other

With effect from July 1, only watermelons, longans, lychees, bananas, and dragon fruits harvested and packed by registered orchards and plants can be exported to China. They must be accompanied by complete information about origin, farm size, and packing procedures.

China will do the same for apples, peaches, pears, oranges, and mandarins it exports to Vietnam.

Phung Huu Hao, deputy head of the National Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Administrative Directorate, said official agencies have helped growers and exporters complete the registration procedures.

So far, 43 provinces and cities have completed the process.

Mr. Hao said this has helped increase sales of fruits as well as cassava starch. His office would help the remaining farmers and exporters register, he added.

According to the Cultivation Department, farmers in Vietnam harvest around seven million tons of fruits annually, 55 per cent higher than five years ago. In the last five years, 260,000 tons have been exported on average, with China being the biggest buyer. Last April a huge quantity of fruit failed to find buyers at the Tan Thanh border with China in Lang Son Province for lack of proper registration and rotted.