BackNear Me » Partner Content » Stories » Vietnam » Da Lat Market Ramps up Security to Safeguard Against Disguised Chinese Potatoes

Da Lat Market Ramps up Security to Safeguard Against Disguised Chinese Potatoes

In response to farmers passing off thousands of Chinese tubers as originating from Da Lat, authorities are installing four cameras and banning soil transportation at the city's produce market.

The measures are in response to an August 21 discovery of a farmer washing Chinese potatoes, covering them with Central Highlands red dirt and distributing them as locally grown to indifferent wholesalers that sell them in Saigon. The ruse means Chinese potatoes bought for VND7,000 per kilogram can be sold for VND20,000 per kilogram, the price of the Da Lat product.

The market is only allowed to sell products of Da Lat origin and authorities estimate that approximately 578 tons of Chinese potatoes worth VND2.2 billion have been imported into Da Lat for sales to date.

The cameras and dirt ban follow a VND1 billion plan announced earlier this year to print and distribute 200,000 branded bags, boxes and stamps for selling Da Lat potatoes. VietnamNet reports that those found counterfeiting the produce post-package availability will be subject to punishment. 

Compared to the prized Da Lat potatoes valued for their flavor and freshness, those from China can contain dangerous levels of pesticides. Suspicions about the origin of Da Lat potatoes has eroded customer trust and forced farmers to sell their crops at half their normal prices, resulting in losses. Lam Dong Province, the home of Da Lat, is one of the largest vegetable producers in Vietnam.

[Photo via Creative Commons]


Related Articles:

China Reveals Plan to Grow Potatoes on the Moon

Da Lat Is Going Through Its Own Climate Change. And Greenhouses Are to Blame.

How Widespread Art Fraud Could Tarnish Vietnam’s Reputation on International Market

Related Articles

in Vietnam

$14 Million Approved For Restoration Of Hanoi’s 112-Year-Old Long Biên Bridge

The fate of one of Vietnam’s most beloved and storied structures took another positive turn last week when the government approved a $14 million restoration package for Long Biên Bridge.

in Vietnam

'Amazing Race Vietnam' Apologizes for Challenge Harming Coral Reef

An underwater challenge during this year’s installment of The Amazing Race Vietnam is not sitting well with environmentalists.

in Vietnam

'Engaging With Vietnam' Conference Ruminates on Heritage in Huế

“Living with Heritage, (Re)Creating Heritage: Vietnam and the World” is the title of the 14th Engaging with Vietnam conference, a series of activities including academic panel discussions, keynote tal...

in Vietnam

1.1m People Have Left the Mekong Delta in the Past Decade, Report Says

The impacts of climate change, hydroelectric plants, and a faltering economy have resulted in an exodus of people from the Mekong Delta.

in Vietnam

10 Killed, Over 30 Missing in Central and Northern Vietnam as Storm Son-Tinh Brings Flash Floods

Heavy rains from storm Son-Tinh, which eventually weakened to a tropical depression, have caused flash floods and fatalities in central Vietnam.

in Vietnam

104-Year-Old Great-Great Grandmother Fights Off Robber

Taking advantage of the elderly will inevitably result in some bad karma, a lesson a Dong Nai man quickly learned after attempting to rob Vo Thi Bai, a 104-year-old woman.

Partner Content