PHNOM PENH: The General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) has instructed all customs authorities to take strict measures against the smuggling of fresh durians through the border corridors under their jurisdiction.

In a May 13 letter, the department directed customs institutions to collect durian samples based on risk assessment principles and random checks for analyses, which will be conducted by the General Department of Consumer Protection, Competition and Fraud Suppression (CCF).

“If the results show that products contain substances that may be harmful to health or are of poor quality, the goods must be seized, and a report submitted to the GDCE for further action,” said the GDCE.

The tightened measures come amid concerns that durians and other vegetables and fish imported from neighbouring countries may contain chemical substances, such as those used to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables or to hasten ripening.

Last Friday, authorities in Vietnam’s Dak Lak province, which borders Cambodia’s Mondulkiri province, announced that they had broken up an operation which used chemicals to accelerate durian ripening. The Vietnamese authorities seized almost US$4 million worth of chemicals.

Two individuals were charged after it was determined that they imported the chemicals for the purpose of artificially ripening durians in 2022, according to VN express. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN