Bac Giang prepares plans to sell Luc Ngan lychees

On the afternoon of May 4, Vice Chairman of the Bac Giang provincial People's Committee Phan The Tuan inspected the lychee production and preparations for selling lychees in Luc Ngan district.

The People's Committee of Luc Ngan district reported that in 2021, the district has 15,450 hectares of lychees, an increase of 160 hectares compared to 2020, with output estimated at more than 120,000 tonnes, including about 30,000 tonnes of early-ripening lychees. The early-ripening lychees are expected to be harvested from May 20 while the main-crop lychees from June 10 to July 20.

This year, the district focuses on main export markets, including China, the US, the European Union (EU) and Japan. It maintains one sterilization and packing facility at the Global Food Export and Import Foodstuff Joint Stock Company.

Amid the complicated developments of Covid-19 in the world and in the country, the district People's Committee has developed two scenarios to support people in harvesting, processing and selling lychees, one in case the pandemic is put under control and the other for the situation of ravaging pandemic, ensuring the most favorable conditions for farmers, cooperatives, exporters and supermarket systems.

At the working session, participants focused on clarifying issues related to improving quality, ensuring food safety and hygiene for lychee products in line with commitments with foreign partners, and developing detailed plans to coordinate with export enterprises and domestic supermarkets to promote lychee consumption.

Luc Ngan district proposed the provincial People's Committee remove some difficulties in lychee production and consumption, including supporting the upgrading of the line to sterilize lychees for export to Japan. It hoped the provincial People's Committee will soon have solutions to create conditions for the locality to welcome Chinese traders to buy lychees.

Concluding the working session, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phan The Tuan highly appreciated the local efforts to produce lychees and prepare for lychee consumption. He asked the district to follow the instructions of the provincial People's Committee. 

In the immediate future, Luc Ngan should focus on caring lychees and minimizing the residue of plant protection drugs on fruits, while closely coordinating with relevant authorities and businesses in promoting lychee sales and ensuring security, order, environmental sanitation, and smooth traffic. The district needs to ensure the best security for domestic and foreign businessmen to come to buy and transport lychees.

The official requested the district to facilitate the travel, accommodation and quarantine of Chinese merchants, with the quarantine to prevent Covid-19 to be strictly implemented.

Tuan said that Luc Ngan needs to deploy the two lychee consumption scenarios in parallel, focusing highly on the second one as the pandemic is developing unpredictably. He asked the Department of Industry and Trade to help the district better implement this plan.

In addition, the district should continue to implement the tour to experience in the lychee harvest season but to ensure the pandemic prevention and control, while expanding selling channels.