The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is seeking ways to sell longan and litchi which will have unexpectedly huge crops this year.

Longan to have bountiful crop

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the weather from March to May this year has been especially favorable for the fruits. It is estimated that Bac Giang, Hung Yen and Hai Duong provinces will produce over 217,000 tonnes of litchi and 80,000 tonnes of longan this year.

Nguyen Hong Son Director of the Department of Crop Production said 50% of the fruits are consumed in Vietnam, mostly in Hanoi and HCM City. Local authorities must collaborate with supermarkets such as Metro and Big C to expand the market.

Meanwhile, the litchi has been exported to many countries including China, Japan, Australia, and the US.

Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, vice chairwoman of Bac Giang People's Committee, said litchi was their key product. This year, the area of litchi reached 29,000 hectares. It is expected to produce 90,000 tonnes, double last year. However, large crop also means that the local authorities will have to face more pressure on finding the outlets for the farmers.

Ha asked related agencies to help find the best ways to preserve, process, and package the products, especially when China is tightening management over imported food, so Vietnamese firms must be careful in the packaging process to clearly state their point of origin.

Hung Yen Province Chairman Nguyen Van Phong also said that the litchi productivity this year will increase by 12% and 20% for longan. In order to find customers for 41,000 tonnes of longan and 12,000 tonnes of litchi, they will hold a promotion conference in Hanoi.

"There are thousands of people go to Ecopark urban area on the weekends. Last year, a family earned VND4bn (USD175,800) in selling flowers and trees after participating in various fairs," he said.

The provincial authorities will give farmers financial supports to export the crops. The authorities also asked for help to preserve the fruits.

Son La Province Vice Chairman Nguyen Anh Cuong asked the government to help them export to China and find more outlets for the huge crops of longan as no major firm has come yet.

Lang Son Vice Chairman Tran Cong Truong said they had opened 12 routes to the border gates to China. They are also building a railway and some border gates for export only. Lang Son authorities will negotiate with their Chinese counterpart to clear the goods during the downtime periods as well.

Dong Giao Foodstuff Export JSC said Japan had a huge market for litchi but Vietnam must be able to meet strict standards about the fruit quality. Dong Giao can export 5,000 tonnes of processed litchi and a large amount of fresh longan and litchi. Nafoods Group Director Nguyen Manh Hung promised to buy at least 150 tonnes of litchi a day for the farmers. They are also building gardens for fruits that meet VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards.