Prices of Bac Giang lychee higher than the average of previous years

According to the report of the People’s Committee of Luc Ngan district, by June 9, 2022 there are 96 collecting points for lychee in the district; accumulated production of early-ripening lychee is 3,938 tons and the price varies between VND18,000 and VND35,000 per kilo. Particularly, around 2,067 tons of early-ripening lychees are consumed mainly in the domestic market and the remaining 1,795 tons are exported.

Meanwhile prices of items supporting for lychee consumption are barely unchanged compared to last year. Ice price varies between VND25,00 and VND30,000 per bar; price of Styrofoam box ranges from VND23,000 to VND35,000 per unit depending on the size.

The district has two electric lychee dryers operating in Hong Giang commune. The total volume of dried lychee has reached around 9.5 tons so far. Currently, almost 20 Chinese traders have arrived in Luc Ngan district to buy lychees for export.

Following the direction of the People’s Committee of Bac Giang province, the People’s Committee of Luc Ngan district has sent delegations to Mong Cai international border gate in Quang Ninh province to research about customs clearance, market, consumption and processing situation for lychee products. These delegations also visited wholesale markets and the border gates in the Southern region, at the same time contacted and worked with management boards of industrial zones to promote lychee consumption.

So far, Luc Ngan has signed sales contracts to sell around 45,000 tons out of nearly 95,000 tons harvested in 2022 of which more than 25,000 tons have been exported. The district authorities pledged to create the most favorable conditions for enterprises, cooperatives and traders to purchase, sell and process lychees

Focusing on the southern market is one of the new points in  the strategy of Bac Giang province  to boost lychee consumption this year. From the beginning of June 2022, the delegation led by Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bac Giang province Phan The Tuan visited a number of lychee selling sites in Ho Chi Minh city and its neighboring provinces and worked with retail chains and wholesale markets.

At a big supermarket in Ho Chi Minh city, lychee (1kg/bundle) has been sold for VND42,900 per kilo while lychee (1kg/pack) sold for VND52,000. At the Thu Duc Agricultural Wholesale Market with more than 1,400 stalls selling farm produce, everyday nearly 100 container trucks transport lychees here. They are unloaded and delivered to shops and stalls around the city.

From the beginning of the lychee crop, the Bac Giang Department of Industry and Trade advised the provincial people’s committee to make two plans for lychee consumption including Plan A: 50% output will be consumed on the domestic market if the Covid-19 pandemic is under control and Plan B: 70%  output will be put up for sale on the domestic market if the pandemic remains complicated. Until now, Bac Giang lychee has been basically consumed according to Plan A.

Along with promoting the southern market, Bac Giang established two working teams to support lychee exports at the border gates in Lao Cai and Lang Son provinces during the peak harvest season.

Farm-gate price of lychee this year is higher than the average of previous years, reaching from VND25,000 to VND30,000 per kilo. Thus, Bac Giang’s lychee-growing areas like Luc Ngan and Tan Yen expect sales of lychee will reach their highest ever level.

Tan Yen district has about 1,340 hectares under lychee cultivation. The output is estimated at 17,000 tons in 2022, up 12% compared to 2021, valued at VND460 billion. By June 8, about 11,215 tons of lychee (66% of the output) have been harvested. Particularly, Phuc Hoa commune which is named “the capital of lychee” by Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bac Giang province Le Anh Duong, can reach VND300 billion sales.

The delegation led by Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bac Giang province Le Anh Duong has worked with Global Export and Import Foodstuff Joint Stock Company whose head office and processing plant are located in Luc Ngan district.  In the 2022 lychee crop, the company expects to buy about 3,000 tons of fresh lychee of which nearly 200 tons are for export and the rest will be processed. Its products are mainly exported to the highly-demanding markets such as Japan, the US.