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The first batches of fresh “thieu” lychee to Japan, more than 2 tonnes in total, have gone through customs clearance at Japan’s Nirata International Airport and will be hitting shelves soon, according to the Plant Protection Department….

The first batches of fresh “thieu” lychee to Japan, more than 2 tonnes in total, have gone through customs clearance at Japan’s Nirata International Airport and will be hitting shelves soon, according to the Plant Protection Department.

Japanese experts on June 18 examined and supervised phytosanitary measures and treatment for the lychee in the northern province of Bac Giang where the fruit was grown. The shipments were made by exporters Ameii Vietnam JSC and Chanh Thu.

The two companies dispatched two other shipments to Japan by sea on June 20, around 3 tonnes each, which are expected to arrive the country within seven days.

Japan is expected to purchase about 100 tonnes of fresh “thieu” lychee from Vietnam this year.

Over the last four years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has worked with the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to conduct testing and negotiations to pave the way for the export.

Last year, the MAFF finally agreed to import lychee from Vietnam.

Earlier, Japanese experts went to Bac Giang’s Lục Ngan district to check and were satisfied with the lychee growing areas granted with export standard codes. However, they still have to directly supervise the process of harvesting, preserving and packaging of lychee exported to this market.

The lychee exports must be packed and treated with methyl bromide fumigation at facilities approved by the Plant Protection Department and MAFF with a minimum dosage of 32g per cu.m within two hours, under the supervision of Vietnamese and Japanese plant quarantine officers.

High-quality Vietnamese lychee meets the standards of the Canadian market, according to a Canadian importer.

Rex Yu from Manley Sales Company, who imported the first batch of Vietnamese lychee on June 10, told Vietnamese News Agency correspondents that Vietnamese lychees meet quality requirements of the Canadian Food Investigation Agency (CFIA).

He expressed his hope that Vietnamese lychee would secure a share in the Canadian market as Vietnamese fresh dragon fruits and longan have, both of which are currently imported by his company.

The company plans to distribute Vietnamese lychee across the country, from British Columbia on the west coast to Quebec on the east coast, within a week.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Canada has conducted a number of promotion campaigns to support domestic agricultural products in the host market, said Commercial Counsellor Hoang Anh Dung.

It also facilitates access to local investors and legal information for domestic businesses to ensure product quality, thus enhancing their competitiveness in the Canadian market.

Lychees and longan berries are Vietnam’s key fruit exports, along with dragon fruit, bananas, mangos, star fruit, rambutan and grapefruit.
Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports reached 629 million USD in the first five months of this year, soaring 17.8 percent in turnover compared to the same period last year.

The country exported nearly 900,000 tonnes of fruit in the past five months, with dragon fruit taking the lead with 350,000 tonnes, followed by watermelons (250,000 tonnes), longans (110,000 tonnes) and bananas (30,000 tonnes).

More than 201 Chinese traders have registered to enter Vietnam to purchase lychee in the northern province of Bac Giang between mid-May and July, Trade and Industry Promotion Center of the province has announced.

More Chinese businesspeople are scheduled to arrive in Luc Ngan district – which has the largest area under lychee cultivation in Vietnam – on May 20.

Bac Giang boasts 29,700 hectares of lychee farms that are expected to yield more than 180,000 tonnes of the juicy fruit this year.

Instead of launching trade promotion campaigns across the country this year, Bac Giang will help farmers and co-operatives to directly connect with businesses to sign purchasing contracts.

So far, the Trade and Industry Promotion Center has signed 34 documents with agricultural wholesale markets, e-commerce trading floors, supermarket chains, and businesses to consume about 110,000 tonnes of lychee.

Vietnamese lychee products are hugely popular with Chinese consumers. The Luc Ngan lychee in Bac Giang boasts a distinctive flavour that is different from those cultivated in other regions. The juicy fruit has been exported to many countries around the world, such as China, Thailand, the United States, Australia and others.

The Australian Department of Agriculture has approved the importation of fresh lychees from Vietnam, reported the Australian press on May 12.

The Australian ABC network said twelve years since it first applied, Vietnam can now export fresh lychees to Australia.

The Department of Agriculture has approved the importation of irradiation treated lychees and will inform Australian importers of the decision.

The announcement comes just in time for Vietnam’s 2015 lychee harvest, which will commence in the next few weeks and last until the middle of July.

Consignments of Vietnamese lychees are permitted to be air or sea freighted to Australia and must be inspected on arrival.

The Vietnamese government is hoping this will be the first of many tropical fruit export options, including mangoes and dragon fruits.

Head of Australia’s Lychee Growers Association Derek Foley from Electra, Queensland, said he is not worried about Vietnamese imports competing with local fruit.

“We’re not against the import of lychees, it won’t clash with our season, which is Christmas (time),” Foley was quoted by ABC as saying that “Australian lychee growers would like to see good quality lychees coming into Australia.”

Australia’s lychee industry is w orth 20 million USD annually; the industry exports irradiated fruit to New Zealand and has recently been granted access to the United States.