Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam expects a bumper crop of lychee this year with an output of 303,000 tonnes, about 30% higher than that of last year, according to the Plant Production and Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
Favourable weather conditions and proper disease control are attributed to the increased production.
Of the total output, about 165,000 tonnes is from the northern province of Bac Giang, 60,000 tonnes from the northern province of Hai Duong, 22,000 tonnes from the northern province of Hung Yen, 22,000 tonnes from the northern province of Lang Son, and another 21,000 tonnes from the Central Highland province of Dak Lak.
The harvest time is relatively short, divided into two phases – from May 20 to June 10 for early-ripen fruits, and from June 10 to July 25 for the main crop. Therefore, early preparations are required for proper harvest, processing, and consumption of lychee, according to the department.
Regarding the management of production and packaging unit codes, 469 production unit codes have been granted to a total area of nearly 19,400 ha, and 55 packaging facility codes issued to serve exports to such markets as China, Australia, Thailand, Japan, and the US. These facilities have been monitored regularly and already completed registration procedures for the 2025 crop year.
In terms of preparations for plant quarantine treatment as required by importing countries, since the beginning of April, the Department of Plant Production and Protection has proactively worked with plant quarantine agencies of other countries to complete documents and conduct inspections of fresh lychee processing facilities, including three irradiation facilities and three fumigation ones.
To date, these establishments have been approved by foreign authorities for the 2025 crop and are now ready to handle the fruits for export.
Particularly, after a long period of negotiations, starting from the 2025 crop, Japan has authorised Vietnam to supervise the processing of lychee shipments to this country, instead of sending its experts to supervise the entire farming process. This has helped save a lot of time and costs for both fresh fruit growers and exporters.
Quarantine units and food safety testing laboratories are also ready to deploy equipment and staff to collect and examine samples to facilitate exports. It is expected that quarantine officers will be present in localities from June 1 until the end of the harvest season.
Approximately 60% of the output is expected to be consumed domestically, while the remainder destined for export. Although Vietnamese lychee has entered over 20 countries worldwide, 90% of the export volume goes to the Chinese market, according to the department./.
