Bac Giang seeks to boost lychee consumption

​Bac Giang is famous for its "Thieu" lychee (Source: VNA)

Bac Giang (VNA) – A conference was held in the northern province of Bac Giang on May 17 to discuss measures to promote consumption of “Thieu” lychee this year.

Addressing the event, representatives from ministries and sectors, and enterprises pledged to boost efforts for the target.

Reports from the provincial People’s Committee show that Bac Giang has 30,000 ha of Thieu lychee this year, down 1,000 ha compared to 2015. Total output of the project is estimated to reach 130,000 tonnes, a year-on-year decrease of 65,000 tonnes.

Despite the decreased growing area and output, the locality saw an expansion of the area of lychee grown in line with the Vietnam Good Agricultural Practice (VietGap) and the Global Good Agricultural Practice (GlobalGap) standards.

As many as 158ha in the Luc Yen district was planted with lychee under the GlobalGap standards, with expected output of around 1,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, the combined Thieu lychee area produced under the VietGap standards in the district reached over 12,500, with an estimated combined yield of 53,000 tonnes.
The province plans to sell 78,000 tonnnes of Thieu lychee in the domestic market, and ship about 52,000 tonnes to foreign markets, equivalent to 60 percent and 40 percent of the total output, respectively. Its export will target key importers such as the US, Australia and the European Union.

According to Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade Tran Quang Tan, this year’s quality of lychee is better than last year.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Duong Van Thai said along with maintaining traditional export markets, the local authorities continue to seek new and potential markets for the product.

Representatives from the Advanced International Joint Stock Company said Bac Giang should pay attention to building a trademark for the product, while supporting local farmers in accessing advanced technologies, in order to expand the area of high-quality lychee, towards meeting the increasing quality demands of choosy markets.-vna