Dragon fruit is currently grown quite popularly in Vietnam. Vietnamese Dragon fruit is sweet, cool and beautiful, and has been chosen by many countries around the world. Currently, this product has been exported to numerous countries worldwide, including countries such as China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan, and several fastidious markets such as Japan, America, Netherlands, Singapore…
Nevertheless, many businesses and new gardeners still do not clearly understand the procedures for exporting this product to the international market. Below, Viet Linh will help businesses better understand tax regulations and dragon fruit export procedures.
Exported dragon fruit needs to meet the following quality standards:
Depending on each import market, there will be separate standards for dragon fruit. However, if your businesses expect to export to the international market, it is compulsory to meet the following standards:
| Quality criteria | Standard |
| External conditions | -Fresh dragon fruit, red skin, white or red flesh
– The fruit must be intact, not crushed, the fruit structure must be solid, and there must be no insect stings on the outer shell. – The left stem must be cut close, the left throat must be cleaned The number of broken ears is ≤ 3 ears/left, the ears are green to yellow-green, and are still guaranteed to be bright green – Do not accept dragon fruit with broken ears close to the left. |
| Ripeness, shell color | The maturity level of dragon fruit ranges from 4-6 according to the standard
– About 75% of the dark red color appears on the surface of the fruit’s peel, the ears are green. – About 90% of the shell surface is pink with some blue spots, the ears change from yellow-green to bright green. – About 95% of the shell surface is bright pink with some blue spots, the ears change from yellow-green to bright green. |
| Mass | Exported dragon fruit must ensure sufficient standard volume. Specifically, there are 3 weight standards for dragon fruit as follows:
|
| Percentage of unused portion | About 40% of fruit weight (Including peel, stem and left ear). |
| Internal conditions | White flesh, red flesh, black seeds, firm, fragrant flesh. |
Detailed instructions for exporting dragon fruit
When dragon fruits meet standards, they need to go through many different stages before being allowed to export. Below are the procedures for exporting dragon fruit
Dragon fruit export policy
Pursuant to Appendix II of Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP dated May 15, 2018 of the Government, dragon fruit is not on the list of goods banned from import and export. Therefore, organizations and businesses can completely export dragon fruits to foreign markets.
Pursuant to Circular No. 15/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated October 29, 2018, exported dragon fruits need to undergo plant quarantine.
HS Code and tax
Based on the 2022 import-export tariff, exported dragon fruit has HS code 08109092.
Export tax: Pursuant to Circular No. 164/2013/TT-BTC dated November 15, 2013, organizations and enterprises exporting dragon fruit must record an export tax rate of 0%.
Value Added Tax (VAT): According to the provisions of Circular No. 219/2013/TT-BTC dated December 31, 2013 and Decree No. 209/2013/ND-CP dated December 18, 2013, dragon fruit exports Exports are not subject to VAT.
Based on the above regulations, when exporting dragon fruits, there will be no need to pay VAT and enjoy an export tax rate of 0%. Therefore, businesses exporting dragon fruits only need to pay customs fees according to regulations. Businesses need to comply with all necessary requirements according to the regulations of the importing country. Customs fees that need to be paid when exporting dragon fruits are specified in Circular No. 172/2010/TT-BTC dated November 2, 2010.
Customs procedures
Customs documents for dragon fruit export include papers and documents such as:
- Customs declaration for export of dragon fruit shipment (electronic declaration)
- Commercial contract between exporter and importer
- Commercial invoice (VAT invoice) of Vietnamese businesses or traders
- Other related documents such as: Detailed declaration of shipment, plant quarantine certificate, customs confirmation, declaration for means of transport.
The complete set of documents necessary to export dragon fruit includes:
- Contract
- Commercial invoice
- Detailed declaration of export shipments (Delivered by the company itself)
- Bill of lading
- Plant quarantine certificate
- Customs declaration for exported dragon fruit
- Procedures for registration of dragon fruit quarantine
According to regulations, exported dragon fruit needs to undergo plant quarantine registration. Basically, quarantine registration procedures for exported dragon fruit will be similar to other plant products. Therefore, the dragon fruit quarantine procedure includes the following 4 steps:
- Step 1: Organizations and businesses register for dragon fruit quarantine
- Step 2: Take dragon fruit quarantine samples
- Step 3: Fill out dragon fruit quarantine documents
- Step 4: Add documents in case the application is missing documents. And receive the original plant quarantine certificate if all required documents are complete.
Dragon fruits when imported into the Chinese market need to be quarantined as follows
- Do not mix or contain other fruits not listed in the phytosanitary certificate.
- On the packaging, it is necessary to write all information such as: Fruit name, origin, packaging factory, business code in Chinese or English.
- Exported dragon fruit must meet the following criteria: No plant residues such as quarantine pests, soil, branches, or leaves that China prohibits from entering;
- The amount of toxic substances must not exceed the health and safety standards prescribed by China.
Documents when exporting dragon fruit
In order to ensure that dragon fruit exports go smoothly and avoid the situation where exported goods are returned due to missing documents or incorrect procedures, businesses should initially contact their partners. It is necessary to clearly determine what documents the partner needs in order to provide them properly. And below are some necessary documents when exporting dragon fruits.
- Commercial Invoice (commercial invoice);
- Packing List (packing slip);
- Bill of Lading (shipping bill of lading);
- Fumigation Certificate (fumigation certificate);
- Phytosanitary Certificate (plant quarantine certificate);
- Certificate Health (medical certificate);
- Certificate of Quality (C/Q – quality certificate);
- Certificate of Analyst (C/A – product composition analysis table);
- Certificate of Origin (C/O – if any);
- Documents related to the export of dragon fruit
Key notes when exporting dragon fruit
Below are some notes when exporting dragon fruits to international markets. These few small notes will help your business’s goods reach buyers faster.
- Phytosanitary Certificate will be calculated for each export shipment. Therefore, for each export shipment, businesses will have to apply for a different quarantine certificate.
- Dragon fruit needs to be packaged according to the importer’s specifications, in a container with a specified humidity of 50-60% and temperature of 3-5 degrees Celsius to ensure freshness.
Through the information about dragon fruit export procedures that Viet Linh just shared, it must have helped readers gain more knowledge about exporting agricultural products to international markets. Through this article, businesses will have more orientation on production as well as procedures for exporting dragon fruits more smoothly. Any business that needs additional support with paperwork, please contact Viet Linh at hotline – 0345.128.188 for the best support.
