Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Hogberg and his wife visited Thanh Ha district, the northern province of Hai Duong on June 9 on the occasion of the first-ever Thanh Ha “thieu” litchi festival 2018. (Source: VNA) Hai Duong (VNA) – Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Hogberg and his wifevisited Thanh Ha district, the northern province of Hai Duong on June 9 on theoccasion of the first-ever Thanh Ha “thieu” litchi festival 2018.
Here, the couple had a chance to experience litchi harvesting at a VietGAP gardenin Thanh Xa commune and contemplate the ancient litchi tree in Thanh Soncommune.
At a working session with the local leaders, the ambassador said he paysspecial attention to the trading of litchi products and wants to bring them tothe Swedish market.
Secretary of the Party Committee of Thanh Ha district Nguyen Duc Tuan expressedhis wish that Ambassador Pereric Hogberg will support the locality in bringing itsspecialty fruit to Sweden and Europe in general.
After visiting the VietGAP litchi orchard and the ancient litchi tree, andenjoying Thanh Ha ‘thieu” litchi, the Swedish diplomat appreciated the qualityof the local fruit as well as the VietGAP production process. He said thatthere is great potential for Thanh Ha “thieu” litchi to enter internationalmarkets.
Thanh Ha district has about 4,000 ha of litchi, including 3,000 ha of ‘thieu”litchi, expected to produce 35,000 tonnes this year.
Thanh Ha “thieu” litchi received the geographicalindication from the Ministry of Science and Technology’s National Office ofIntellectual Property in 2007. The local fruit was listed in the top 10 qualityproducts in 2013 and 2014 and received the Gold Brand prize in 2015.
The VietnamAssociation of Food Science and Technology granted a “trustful and safe foodbrand” certificate to Thanh Ha litchi in 2016. The same year, the ancientlitchi tree in Thuy Lam village was recognised as the oldest of its kind inVietnam.
Besides thedomestic market, Thanh Ha litchi has increased its presence outside thecountry. The fruit has been exported to Australia, Canada, China, France,Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, the United ArabEmirates and the United States.
The Thanh Ha “thieu” litchi festival opened on June 10, with an array ofactivities such as tours to the ancient litchi tree in Thuy Lam village inThanh Son commune, Thanh Ha district; visits to VietGAP litchi gardens; andboat tours to litchi orchards along Huong river, among others. Visitors canalso try their hand at picking litchi in gardens in Thanh Ha district and ChiLinh town.-VNA
VNA
