Labeling assistance to expand lychee consumption market in 2018

From 1 April 2018, firms exporting Vietnamese fruits to Guangxi, China are required to provide packaging images with products’ traceability information as applying for the customs permit. Dealing with this circumstance, the competent agencies, local government and enterprises of Bac Giang province are preparing for this year’s lychee crop. 

Staff of Luc Ngan’s Farmers Association visit lychee gardens following GLOBALGAP standard at Ngot hamlet, Hong Giang commune.

According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade (DoIT), the product information on the package includes the name of fruit products, origin traceability code, name or packaging code either in Chinese or English. The competent agencies of Guangxi province will test the labels whether they follow regulations or not. Any unoriginal fruit products will be removed.

This information makes a massive impact on lychee growers and firms of Bac Giang province because about 50 percent of the province’s lychee output exported to Chinese market annually, most of which are imported at the border gate in Guangxi province. 

Dinh Van Hung, Director of Hung Thao Trading and Import-Export Company Limited said, “Our company has exported fruits like lychee, grapefruit, orange and mango to China via Guangxi border gate for many years. Hence, we always study related regulations. Since the beginning of this year, our company exported about ten thousand tons of mango collected from the south each month and strictly obey the regulations and requirements. For lychee products, we are discussing with other local production groups and growers to collaborate in meeting customs conditions as starting in the crop”.

Although keeping wondering, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Luc Ngan district said, the regulation of Guangxi province is a challenge but it will help to change the local production method. In general, the households produce in small-scale without a close connection. Thus, the strict requirement by the partner is likely to change the traditional norms and methods for lychee products.

This year, thanks to favorable weather and due attention of growers, lychee output of Luc Ngan district is estimated at 90,000 tons, higher than the previous year. In order to boost consumption of the products, the People’s Committee of Luc Ngan district assigned the Division for Agriculture and Rural Development and Agriculture Encouragement Station to accelerate popularizing the new requirements on exporting lychee to China to local people. Simultaneously, they need to establish more cooperatives based on 400 available groups of lychee production and consumption.

Chinese traders purchase lychee in Luc Ngan district. Filed photo.

Besides, the district funded 50 percent of expenses for stamps of origin for all of the cooperatives. These cooperatives must strictly manage the supported products and mutually supervise labeling. Next week, the people’s committee of Luc Ngan district will hold a meeting to decide the stamping and labeling forms, product-packing designs for the whole district. They will collaborate with VNPT to gradually set up e-lychee care diary, which helps farmer apply it easily while costumers can follow products via smartphones. Accompanying lychee growers, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development guide them to strictly follow the production process of 13,000 hectares of GlobalGAP and VietGAP lychee.

Currently, early ripen lychee is in the first fruit physical drop period while main lychee type is yielding young fruits. They are expected to harvest in June. The requirement by Guangxi province has been imposed recently while the lychee harvesting time is coming. Hence, local government and related agencies of the province must join hands to promptly implement the solutions to meet the requirements for lychee export. Tran Quang Tan, DoIT Director said, “This year, DoIT will hold a number of trade promotion conferences in the middle area and some provinces bordering China to extend consumption markets. Apart from Lang Son border gate, enterprises can regulate the circulation of their products at other ones to avoid congestion”.