Vietnamese longans make inroads into meticulous markets

The northern province of Hai Duong is anticipated to ship a batch of 250 tonnes of longans to the European, Australian, and Singaporean markets during the harvest season this year, according to local authorities.

At present, testing samples of pesticide residues on longan items from Vietnam come up to the stringent requirements set out by these demanding markets.

Chi Linh city in Hai Duong province features 673 hectares of growing area specifically for longan, of which four codes, equivalent to 43 hectares, have been granted for export to demanding markets globally.

Currently, longans at gardens throughout the region are being sold at VND15,000 per kilo, double the price elsewhere in the domestic market.

Hai Duong province is home to approximately 2,100 hectares of longan cultivation area, with this year’s output set to reach over 10,000 tonnes.

This year the locality features longan cultivation areas of over 50 hectares that are eligible to export to demanding markets.

According to Luong Thi Kiem, director of Plant Protection Sub-Department under the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, local farmers have been instructed to take particular care of longan trees in an effort to prevent pest species.

This step can be considered a necessity to meet acceptable levels of pesticide residue set by import markets, in addition to applying advanced techniques in terms of the farming process.

As the longan harvest season is in full swing, local businesses are purchasing the fruit for export. Red Dragon Production and Trading Services Co., Ltd from Ho Chi Minh City alone planned to buy between three and eight tonnes of longan each day for shipments to Singapore, Europe, and Australia.