Bắc giang
Poor harvest slashes lychee exports to China by 62%
Vietnam’s exports of lychee to China saw their sharpest decline to date in the first half of 2024, plummeting nearly 62% from a year ago to US$14.5 million.
Lychee is a popular Vietnamese product mainly harvested from April to June in northern provinces like Hai Duong and Bac Giang.
According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, the reason for this decline is a huge drop in supply due to this year’s poor harvest.
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Lychees sold in HCMC in May, 2024. |
Reports from localities that grow the fruit indicate that this year’s production totaled nearly 200,000 tons, down 50% from the previous year.
Bac Giang Province saw output fall by half to 100,000 tons, while Hai Duong Province harvested 45,000 tons, a 23% year-on-year decrease.
Le Ba Thanh, deputy director of the Bac Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, noted that the province has never suffered such a bad harvest.
Bac Giang had consumed more than 85,700 tons of its lychees by the end of June due to high demand for the fruit.
Due to the lower supply this year, the fruit’s end-of-season price tripled from a year ago to VND180,000 (US$7.1) per kilogram in June. For rarer varieties like the egg-shaped lychee, prices rose as high as VND360,000 per kilogram.
This year, the fruit was only sold at supermarkets in the south for less than a month during its season, unlike in previous years when it was available for longer.
Vietnam exported a total of $23.6 million worth of lychees in the first half, down 46% year-on-year, according to the General Department of Customs.
Shipments to Japan and the U.K., two other large importers of Vietnamese lychees, also fell by 4% and 16% from a year ago, respectively.
BAC GIANG - At this time, farmers in Luc Ngan district (Bac Giang province) are harvesting the remaining lychee. This year's lychee yield is low so traders directly visit each garden to buy the special fruit at high prices.
According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Bac Giang province, approximately 67,000 tonnes of lychee have been sold so far, representing about 67% of the province's total output. Bac Giang "thieu" lychee has found its way into many domestic and international markets, notably penetrating several demanding ones.
BAC GIANG - Every year, in May and June, Bac Giang is bustling with lychee harvests. This year, although the yield is not as high as in previous seasons, there are still many orchards laden with fruit. Grasping this opportunity, tourists from near and far have visited lychee orchards. They could not help but admire the beauty and sweetness of this famous fruit.
BAC GIANG – Though many lychee gardens in Bac Giang province saw a crop failure this year, the family of Diep Thi Senh in Trai 1 village, Phuong Son commune (Luc Ngan district) still earns high income. In particular, the lychee trees have been planted since 1992 but never failed.
BAC GIANG – So far, Bac Giang has consumed about 35 out of 50,000 tonnes of early ripening lychees, reported the Department of Industry and Trade. The products are purchased at high prices, bringing great income to gardeners.
BAC GIANG - Thanks to active introduction and promotion, the number of international visitors coming to experience the ripening lychee season in Luc Ngan district (Bac Giang province) this year has increased sharply.
Source: VnExpress
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