Representatives of the country’s two largest Thieu lychee-growing provinces, Bac Giang and Hai Duong, together with members of relevant ministries and localities, have discussed ways to further boost the consumption of the fruit in the southern region.

In 2014, the combined Thieu lychee yield of the two northern provinces is estimated to reach 190,000 tonnes, of which 40,400 were grown under the Vietnam Good Agricultural Practice (VietGap) standards, heard a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 16.

Ministry of Industry and Trade representatives said 80,000 tonnes of the fruit were domestically sold last year, mainly in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and some southern localities, equivalent to 60 percent of the year’s yield. Of the volume, 40,000 were consumed in the southern region.

With abundant Thieu lychees primarily provided by the northern provinces, the Hoc Mon wholesale market’s management board is encouraging traders to bring the total sales to 4,000-5,000 tonnes during the crop, while Saigon Co.op targets a monthly distribution of 10 tonnes in Ho Chi Minh City and some southeastern provinces.

Delegates also discussed long-term measures to promote investment in Thieu lychee production and the effectiveness of post-harvest preservation and processing as well as expand export markets.

Doan Xuan Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Processing and Trade for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Products and Salt Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said it is vital to apply advanced preservation methods in prolonging the freshness of the lychees after the crop and renew the packaging to lure consumers.

Besides raising the sales of fresh Thieu lychees, investment in processing them into dried and canned products should be boosted to ensure the stable supply after the crop ends, other delegates suggested.

MIT needs to enforce its role as a bridge to connect the production and trading of Thieu lychees between localities and regions, said Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Hong. She added Thieu lychee-growing localities have to actively create sustainable trade links with distributors and dealers.

In turn, the ministry will continue to increase national trade promotion activities aimed to introduce farm produce, especially lychees, to domestic and foreign consumers as well as expand domestic and foreign markets, said Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Ho Thi Kim Thoa.-VNA