Bắc giang
Efforts made to bring Bac Giang lychee into high-end markets
Quy Son commune (Luc Ngan district) has more than 2,100 hectares of lychee, with an output of about 15,000 tonnes per year. In this crop, the commune has six growing area codes for export to Japan, the US and the EU, with a total area of 40 hectares involving 40 households.
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Luc Ngan district holds a conference to sign contracts for lychee exports to Europe right at a lychee production area. |
It was early in the morning, but Dang Thi Khuynh, an agricultural extension officer in Quy Son commune, visited a group of households producing lychees for export in Dong Giao village to guide them how to take care of lychee.
According to Khuynh, in order for the product to be exported to Japan, the US, and the EU, farmers must strictly follow the care process guided by professional agencies. Communal agricultural extension officers set up Zalo groups with groups of households to instruct the care, fertilization and irrigation, in order to create high-quality products conquering high-end markets.
For good lychee quality, this year Luc Ngan district has supported households participating in growing lychees for export to Japanese, US and EU markets with 50 percent of the cost of pesticides. The province has provided technical support and covered costs for management and issuance of new planting area codes. The survey shows that lychee gardens belonging to the code-granted areas in the Thanh Hai and Tan Son communes (Luc Ngan), Phuc Hoa commune (Tan Yen) have been well cared for.
As a result, right at the end of April, the Vietnam - France Agricultural Land Joint Stock Company signed a lychee purchase agreement with a group of households in the code-granted areas of these communes to export to the EU. The total output is about 200 tonnes with the purchasing price of 35,000 VND (1.5 USD)/kg, 5,000-10,000 VND/kg higher than the export price in 2021.
Nguyen Thu Huong, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and General Director of the company, said that in order to be exported to any market, lychees must satisfy all export standards. Therefore, growers need to change their way of thinking and doing. That is only producing clean and safe lychees.
Meeting these countries’ requirements on technical barriers for imported agricultural products, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development established a team responsible for directing the production of lychees for export to Japan, the US, and the EU. The Sub-Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection coordinated with the Divisions of Agriculture and Rural Development of Luc Ngan, Luc Nam and Tan Yen districts to review all code-granted growing areas and packing facilities for lychee sale, and support technical training for farmers.
To help the product successfully approach and be exported to demanding markets, Bac Giang has innovated trade promotion activities. It organized an online conference to promote lychee exports to the US market. The department has invited American businesses to come to Bac Giang to survey and sign contracts for lychee consumption. The Association of Vietnamese Enterprises in the US has proposed a number of solutions to bring lychees with an increasing quantity to this market. The province has connected with Japanese, EU, RoK and domestic enterprises to increase export volume.
The provincial Department of Industry and Trade has worked with trade offices of a number of countries, such as Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands to expand markets. Recently, it proactively proposed the provincial People's Committee urge the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to work with countries that have signed trade agreements with Vietnam to export lychees to foreign markets, especially those in the EU, via official channels.
With careful preparation from production to trade promotion, this year Bac Giang lychees are expected to conquer many "fastidious" markets and local farmers will enjoy another bumper lychee crop.
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