Bắc Ninh rebuilds pomelo growing-area system for exports to China

New protocol opens a regulated route to China

Bắc Ninh province is rebuilding its system of registered pomelo orchards after Vietnam and China signed a protocol on April 15, 2026, establishing phytosanitary requirements for exports of fresh pomelo and lemon. The agreement creates a formal route into the Chinese market, but access depends on approval of both growing areas and packing facilities.

According to Bắc Ninh’s provincial publication, every orchard and packing operation serving China must be registered with Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and approved by China’s General Administration of Customs, or GACC, before exports begin. Each consignment must be traceable to its orchard and packing facility, requiring organized production, detailed records and controls throughout cultivation and packing.

Orchards face GAP and pest-control requirements

Registered orchards must follow good agricultural practices, or an equivalent standard, and use integrated pest management. They must monitor organisms identified as quarantine concerns by China, including fruit flies. Producers are required to install traps, survey fields regularly and apply appropriate control measures from the beginning of the season.

Pomelo fruit must be bagged at least 60 days before harvest. Plant-protection products must be used for the approved purpose and at the prescribed dosage, with pre-harvest intervals observed. Applications must be entered in production logs so that residue risks and orchard-management practices can be traced. The provincial authorities are also encouraging biological and cultivation-based controls to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides.

Packing facilities face separate registration and hygiene obligations. Fruit must be sorted and cleaned, while diseased, damaged, deformed or pest-infested produce must be removed. Branches, leaves, soil and other plant debris cannot remain in export lots. These requirements make packhouse capacity and documentation as important as compliance in the orchard.

Large crop base but no active export codes

Bắc Ninh has more than 5,200 hectares of pomelo, with estimated annual output of 47,000 tonnes. Of that area, 3,660 hectares are cultivated under VietGAP standards. The main varieties include Diễn pomelo, green-skin pomelo and đào đường pomelo, grown across locations including Lục Ngạn, Chũ, Phượng Sơn, Nam Dương, Đèo Gia, Biển Động, Lục Sơn, Yên Thế, Kiên Lao and Vân Sơn.

Between 2022 and 2025, the province had 28 pomelo growing-area codes covering 304.16 hectares for domestic sales and exports. By 2026, however, some growers had converted orchard land to other crops, leaving certain areas below the required minimum of 10 hectares for a fruit-growing zone. Most coded orchards continued to serve the domestic market, approved areas had generally not achieved overseas shipments, and some failed to maintain required conditions.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment consequently ordered field reviews and the withdrawal of export growing-area codes. By August 2026, Bắc Ninh had no remaining pomelo or lemon area codes available for exports.

Applications cover only a fraction of production

Local communes and wards have now proposed 19 growing areas, each associated with one producer, covering a combined 50.9 hectares. The agricultural authorities aim to review, standardize and issue codes for these areas by the end of 2026. Even if all are approved, they would represent only a small share of the province’s total pomelo acreage.

Officials are working with companies on production plans for pomelo, lemon and other key agricultural products intended for China and additional markets. Their program includes guidance on VietGAP, GlobalGAP, organic production and government support measures. Authorities also plan to supervise planting material, orchard concentration and continued compliance after approval, while limiting uncontrolled citrus expansion that could create oversupply and depress prices.