Vietnam is putting the finishing touches to the export of its lychee, one of the country’s key fruits for export, to overseas markets, hoping to make a huge profit this year.

The lychee harvesting crop for this year is anticipated to record good growth in terms of both output and export prices.

This year sees Bac Giang province, which is dubbed the capital of Vietnamese lychee, have 29,700 ha of land under lychee cultivation, an increase of 1,600ha compared to last year. It is expected to yield between 180,000 and 200,000 tonnes of the fruit.

Of the total, 15,682ha of land is used for growing lychees according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, with an estimated output of over 100,000 tonnes.

Bac Giang is poised to export 96,000 tonnes, making up 53% of the total output and representing an increase of 15% year on year. So far, more than 200 Chinese dealers have registered to enter and purchase the juicy fruit in the locality.

Currently, the province has been granted dozens of planting area codes for lychee export to China, Thailand, Australia. Japan, and the United States.

Meanwhile, Hai Duong province, which is also one of the country’s main lychee producers, is expected to yield 40,000 tonnes grown according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards.

Along with local consumption, Hai Duong is ramping up trade promotion as it seeks to export lychee to traditional markets such as China, the United States, the EU, Australia, and Japan, and to expand into new and potential markets in South America and Africa.

So far, more than 100 planting area codes have been given to export Hai Duong’s lychee to China, Australia, Japan, the US, and Thailand.

According to the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnamese lychees are mainly exported to China some EU countries, the US, Australia, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and the Middle East.

“This year, we will continue to maintain our traditional export markets on the one hand, and we will, on the other hand, diversify markets to minimise the risk of dependence on a single market, and at the same time increase export value,” says Le Hoang Tai, deputy director of the Trade Promotion Department.

Ngo Thi Thu Hong, general director of Ameii Vietnam Joint Stock Company that specialises in exporting agricultural products to highly demanding markets, says there are positive signs ahead for lychee sales overseas this year.

“Currently, the company has received a lot of orders from markets, including its traditional markets such as Japan, the EU, and Australia and some new markets in the Middle East, Singapore, and Malaysia,” reveals the executive.

In order to ensure sufficient output as well as quality, Hong says that Ameii has signed consumption contracts with co-operatives and farmers in Hai Duong, with the purchase price about 20% higher than the market price.

For China, To Ngoc Son, deputy director of the Asia-Africa Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, points out that although the export market signal remains very favourable, the Chinese market is increasingly demanding strict standards and directions towards high-quality products. He therefore suggests that lychee farmers focus on producing quality products in a bid to meet this market’s demands.

Source: VOV