A farmer harvests lychees. The Hai Duong lychee is expected to be sold online on e-commerce platforms - PHOTO: VNA

HCMC - The Hai Duong lychee is expected to be sold online on e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba, Voso, Sendo and Lazada starting May 15, according to the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency.

This is the first year the Hai Duong lychee will be sold online in addition to the traditional channels of distribution. However, such a feat is not easy to achieve.

The agency pointed out that the biggest obstacle is the limited awareness among businesses and growers over doing business online via e-commerce platforms.

This is also in conjunction with understanding the rules of marketing, online sales processes, customer service and quality management.

To support the output of potential agricultural products such as the Hai Duong lychee, the agency has coordinated with the Department of Industry and Trade and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hai Duong province to train businesses and growers on traceability, opening procedures and participating in stalls at the four online markets.

In 2020, the Hai Duong lychee’s output reached 43,000 tons, half of which was for domestic consumption and the rest for export, the local media reported.

Of these, approximately 1,600 tons were exported to demanding markets such as Japan, Australia and the United States. Compared to 2019, this is an increase of 1,000 tons.

During the lychee crop year 2021, Hai Duong saw over 9,100 ha of lychees with an estimated output of 55,000 tons. Half of this will be exported to China, 5-7% to the United States, Japan, Australia and the rest will be reserved for domestic consumption and processing.