Vietnam prepares for lychee exports to Japan following green light

The Vietnamese agriculture ministry has asked the northern province of Bac Giang, one of the largest lychee-growing regions in Vietnam, to make detailed preparation plans for shipping the first batch of the fruit to Japan.

Lychee harvesting in Bac Giang province (Photo: VNA)
Lychee harvesting in Bac Giang province (Photo: VNA)

>>> Japan opens door for Vietnamese lychee

Japan has already approved the direct import of Vietnamese lychees so long as they meet the country’s plant quarantine regulations.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said on December 22 that the ministry will send specialists to Bac Giang to help the province develop detailed export plans with a number of enterprises.

The minister said a Japanese commercial counsellor will be invited to inspect and monitoring the lychee production process.

He urged Bac Giang Province to take pest control measures from the early stage of flowering, in accordance with good agricultural practices GlobalGAP and VietGAP, in order to ensure both yield and food safety.

Bac Giang Chairman Duong Van Thai said following Japan’s green light, the province has directed the agencies and localities concerned to review the production requirements and instructions towards producing lychees that meet Japan’s requirements.

He said the province will employ advanced food preservation technologies from Israel and Japan to preserve the freshness of lychees.

The province is currently home to 28,000 hectares of lychees, with 700 hectares meeting the standards for VietGAP and 40 hectares meeting those of GlobalGAP.