Vietnamese Thieu lychee granted certificate of geographical indication in Japan
For the first time, Thieu lychee grown in Luc Ngan District in the Northern Province of Bac Giang has been
On May 25, Bac Giang province coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to organize an online conference on promoting consumption for Thieu lychee.
In front of more than 60 bridgepoints at home and abroad, Vice Chairman of Bac Giang People's Committee, Mr. Phan The Tuan proudly shared about the quality of this year's lychee. “We have had favorable weather conditions this year. With prolonged cold and regular rain, lychee grows and develops well. Along with strict control of planting area codes, this year’s lychee quality can be considered the highest ever.”
Experiencing a decrease of 40,000 tons of output compared to 2021, Bac Giang lychee production focused more on improving the quality and value of lychee.
“It is without question that every market is important, whether they are domestic markets or international markets. Right at the beginning of the year Bac Giang People's Committee issued a plan to promote lychee consumption so that industries and localities can take the initiative in production, trade promotion, and collaborative connection," said Mr. Tuan.
Having the success of 2021 as a foundation when Bac Giang sells more than 200,000 tons of lychee with prices from 20,000 - 25,000 VND/kg, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai noted that the province should pay more attention to e-commerce channels to further promote Thieu lychee on world markets while still boosting consumption in the domestic market.
"Bac Giang has gained many valuable lessons from successful crops. I fully believe that the province will have a reasonable and realistic plan for Thieu lychee consumption. The Ministry of Industry and Trade promises to provide maximum resources support and updating information concerning the preference of consumers in exporting countries," Deputy Minister Hai said.
Mr. Nguyen Phi Thoan, CEO of JV Solutions in Japan, said at the conference that Bac Giang Thieu lychee had a sweet taste and aroma which can compete with similar products from many other countries. Not to mention Thieu lychee is the most anticipated summer fruit in Japan. Right from the Lunar New Year, a number of Thieu lychee exporters to the Japan market had had plans to import and offer sales.
Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Giang province, Mr. Le Anh Duong, said that quality was a top factor in the process of directing and instructing farmers in care and cultivation techniques to expand Thieu lychee growing areas. Standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP and organic certification were gradually becoming common knowledge.
Mr. Duong was committed to creating all favorable conditions to support lychee growers, businesses, and traders at home and abroad when participating in the lychee consumption chain. Related logistics services such as capital funding, electricity, styrofoam, environmental sanitation, warehousing, concentrated weighing and purchase points were also simultaneously invested and upgraded.
“In order to bring agricultural products further to the world, we need to raise the quality higher. Branding development must go hand in hand with brand protection. It is the common responsibility of the locality, people and businesses," said Mr. Duong.
In line with trade promotion activities, Bac Giang province advocates strengthening tourism promotion and development based on available advantages from lychee orchards. In Luc Ngan district - the province's main “lychee basket” - the district People's Committee has developed a plan to organize a tourism program with the theme "The summer flavor of Luc Ngan" in 2022 which will take place from now until the end of July. Tourists coming to the lychee gardens linked in the program will experience eco-tourism with the unique culture of ethnic groups in the area.
The district has cooperated with neighboring localities in Bac Ninh and Hai Duong at the same time to build tours to attract tourists on the occasion of the summer vacation. Some orchards on islands and along the lakes of Khuon Than, Cam Son, Bau Lay and Lang Thum will be given priority in the coming period.
Translated by Samuel Pham