Vice Chairman of the Bac Giang provincial People Committee Duong Van Thai introduces Bac Giang lychees to leaders and tradesmen in Pingxiang city. Photo: Viet Hung – Minh Ngoc.

Though it is the early harvesting period of lychee in the northern province of Bac Giang (Vietnam), the fruits are widely sold in several markets and towns in Pingxiang city. Li Li, a local fruit retailer shared that Chinese tradesmen annually start importing Vietnamese lychee to sell in their domestic markets in the middle of May and last until the end of July. At the peak season, sometimes her store can consume over 1 tonnes of Vietnamese lychees to both retail and bulk buyers.

“In the beginning harvest crop, the early ripen lychee is sold at 6 Chinese National Yuan (CNY) per half of kilogram (1.85 USD per kilogram). However, this price much fluctuates. The price of “circle lychee” or main crop lychee is often higher and more stable. In last year’s peak season, the lychee was popularly sold at 30 CNY (4.69 USD) per kilogram or 50 CNY (7.81 USD) per kilogram for the hi-quality fruit selling in the central domestic markets”, Li said.

It is a shared opinion of the local tradesmen and customers that Bac Giang lychee is thick in flesh, juicy and sweet with small seed and good appearance. According to businessman Nong Zhi Zheng, director of an enterprise in Pingxiang city specialized in importing the lychee to Beijing and Shanghai markets, Vietnamese lychee is much more delicious than Chinese fruit because of the favorable weather and geological conditions. Bac Giang lychee is sweeter thanks to the long exposure of summer sunlight.

The lychee cultivation area for export in Hong Giang commune (Luc Ngan district).

This year, Guangxi province requests to stamp for origin traceability to all farm produces imported from Vietnam; hence Bac Giang fruit easily drew the customers’ attention. The wholesale markets in Pingxiang city also sell Chinese lychees which are smaller and less fresh than Bac Giang – originated fruits.

The Bac Giang provincial People Committee has held the lychee promotion conference in the center of Pingxiang city since 2017. According to Vice Governor of Pingxiang Hao Yun, 50 percents of Vietnamese agricultural products are exported to China via the local border gates and wholesale markets, particularly the lychee always receives the due attention from the local authority because of the huge imported quantity in a short period of time.

The great effort has been recently made by the competent agencies to facilitate the fruit transport, including reducing the customs clearance time by 60 percents compared to the previous figure, arranging distinctive route for lychee carriages passing Tan Thanh border gate, enlarging the storage, working overtime to serve the tradesmen of two nations. Besides, Pingxiang city is promptly accelerating to upgrade and expand the fruit wholesale market toward the goal of “two nations one inspection” so as to utmost shorten the time for customs clearance.

Bac Giang still considers China as a traditional key market of lychee consumption this year, especially Pinxiang city where the province on May 19 organized the fruit promotion conference to promote the produces, listen to the comments and timely support the tradesmen and enterprises for a smooth lychee consumption season.

Bac Giang lychee is widely preferred by Pingxiang municipal residents. Photo is taken at the night fruit market in the city.

Duong Van Thai, Vice Chairman of the Bac Giang provincial People Committee and Head of the delegate revealed that the local authority committed to creating the utmost favor condition in terms of social security, weighing points, transport arrangement and supply of supporting commodities to Chinese businessmen visiting the province and linking with the cooperatives, groups of cooperatives and enterprises in lychee buying, transporting and consuming.

Apart from that, Divisions of Customs and Phytosanitary for area 7 in Lang Son province also help issue the Certificates of Phytosanitary and clear the customs procedure promptly, contributing to expanding Chinese markets.

Cao Minh Ngoc