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It is forecasted that the quality of lychee in 2022 will be the best ever. Photo: N.Thanh

Quality and safety assurance

According to Mr. Phan The Tuan, Vice Chairman of Bac Giang Provincial People's Committee, thanks to the favorable and temperate climate in 2022, lychee quality is predicted to the best ever. Bac Giang's lychee area in 2022 will continue to maintain 28,300 hectares with an estimated output of 180 thousand tons from the harvest between May 20 to July 20.

Bac Giang province has been focusing on directing lychee growing areas to ensure the best quality and safety, especially focusing on directing production of 149 planting area codes for export to the Chinese market. Besides, the province also maintains 300 packing facilities to meet the export demand to the Chinese market; direct provincial authorities to organize propaganda, dissemination, training and guidance for enterprises, cooperatives, gardeners and traders participating in export to comply with and meet requirements on Food Management Measures for import and export products (Order 249) and Management of registration of foreign food production enterprises importing food into China (Order 248) by China Customs; organize guidance on planting area codes, fully implement packing facilities, prepare fully conditions for exporting to the Chinese market in 2022.

Mr. Tran Quang Tan, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Bac Giang province, said that for the 2022 lychee crop, Bac Giang province will step up support, encouragement and promotion exports to markets that have cooperated with traditional markets such as: USA, EU, Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia and Thailand. At the same time, the province also focuses on searching and expanding new and potential consumption markets. Besides, the province also encourages businesses to open lychee stalls on domestic and foreign e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba, Sendo, Postmart, Voso; promoting lychee consumption activities and social networks like Fanpages on Facebook and the Zalo app.

“In the domestic market, the province also exchanged and connected with distribution groups, wholesale markets, businesses and traders; coordinate with large technology enterprises (Ivette, VNPT) to strengthen the organization of lychee trading transactions via digital technology platforms", Mr. Tan said.

Hai Duong is the second largest lychee in the country. The province's lychee output this year is estimated at more than 60,000 tons. The entire fabric area is produced according to VietGAP and Global GAP standards. This year, Hai Duong has nearly 5,000 tons that fully meet the export standards of demanding markets with strict requirements of pesticide residues as well as care, harvesting and preservation processes.

Ms. Trinh Thi Nguyen, Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Thanh Ha district (Hai Duong province) said that the whole district has more than 3,200 hectares of lychee. It is expected that the output of this year's lychee crop is 5-10% higher than that of 2021. Due to this year's weather characteristics, the time for lychee harvest is expected to be 7-10 days later than usual. Therefore, U Hông and Tau Lai groups will harvest from about 25/5–5/6 and Thieu lychee in the main season for harvest is from 10-25/6. Currently, the whole district is ready to harvest and export lychee.

Proposing customs clearance priority for export

In order to facilitate export, Mr. Phan The Tuan asked the People's Committee of Lang Son province, as well as the provincial authorities, to support an online conference on lychees in Bac Giang province, which was held on May 25. At the same time, it is necessary to arrange and guide the transshipment area, locate a separate area for people and means of transporting lychee in Bac Giang province while waiting for customs clearance at the border gate area.

The leader of Bac Giang province also proposed the Lang Son province authorities organize priority channeling for lychee export at the Huu Nghi and Tan Thanh border gates and consult with the Chinese localities to locate priority green channels, reopening Coc Nam and Chi Ma border gates.

Until now, the Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security) has agreed to allow 103 traders (all Chinese nationals) to enter Vietnam to buy lychees in Bac Giang. In addition to the above traders, the locality is proposing 96 more Chinese trader (in 2021 there was 190 Chinese traders).

“I request the Border Guard Command of Lang Son province and border gate management agencies to maximize facilitation in entry procedures for Chinese traders to Bac Giang to survey, negotiate and purchase lychee and coordinate to appoint a focal point to join the Working Group to support Bac Giang lychee export," said Mr. Phan The Tuan.

At the online working session between the leaders of the People's Committee of Bac Giang province and Mr. Ho Toa Cam, Counselor of the Mission, in charge of Economic - Trade, the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, Mr. Ho Toa Cam emphasized that, in spite of the tightened COVID-19 control measures, the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi is committed to optimizing the most lychee exports to China. In order to facilitate consumption of lychee, the Chinese side will prepare a sufficient number of trucks to pull goods from Vietnam to China as well as arrange a dedicated parking lot for trucks carrying lychee from Bac Giang."

Allowed to self-monitor, lychee exports to Japan accelerated

However, he also stated that Bac Giang province needs to strictly comply with safety assurance conditions in the prevention and control of Covid-19 epidemic; It is recommended that the processes of care, production and consumption of lychee must be safe, lychee picking staff and lychee truck drivers must be strictly managed and have a PCR test to ensure that they do not have Covid-19.