Vietnam's fruit export industry recorded a significant achievement with the operation of a dual irradiation system by the Toan Phat Irradiation Plant. The facility is now officially the first unit in Vietnam to integrate Cobalt-60-based Gamma irradiation technology and X-ray technology, which has received approval from the United States Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The simultaneous use of both technologies provides crucial operational flexibility for exporters. According to the General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, Dang Phuc Nguyen, this integration enables companies to optimize service capacity, maintain smooth commodity flows during peak seasons, and mitigate the risk of backlogs for commodities such as mangoes, dragon fruit, and pomelos, which must undergo quarantine processing before entering the US market.
General Director of Toan Phat Irradiation, Vuong Hieu, explained that this system allows for selecting the treatment method best suited to product and packaging specifications. With this capability, the plant is projected to double its processing capacity compared to 2025, when it successfully processed 5,670 tons of fruit for the US market.
This strategic move is seen as reinforcing Vietnam's post-harvest infrastructure chain. Given that the export turnover of fruits and vegetables to the United States continues to show a positive trend with projections reaching US$547 million, this increase in quarantine capacity is key for businesses to expand the market share of Vietnamese fruit, which currently accounts for a small portion of total US agricultural product imports.
