HANOI, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam should position durian as a national product by setting quality standards and building its brand to compete with major exporters like Thailand and Malaysia, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan has said.

The minister was quoted as saying in a VnExpress report on Thursday.

He added that designating durian as a national product requires comprehensive farm policies and educating farmers and businesses.

This has become a vital need since Vietnam now lags behind Thailand and Malaysia in exporting the fruit to China and its production is fragmented and on a small scale in the Southeast Asian country, according to him.

To qualify as a national product, an item must meet several criteria like production size, export competitiveness, adoption of technology, and potential for acquiring intellectual property rights, he said.

According to local experts, Vietnam's durian exports are projected to hit 3.5 billion U.S. dollars by the end of this year given the current favorable conditions.

The country's durian export revenue reached approximately 1.7 billion U.S. dollars between January and July. China was the biggest importer of the Vietnamese durians. Enditem

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