Vietnam: Experts stress need to promote fruit sales as harvest season arrives
HANOI: Vietnam’s seasonal fresh fruits are about to enter peak harvest season and the volumes offer perfect opportunities to boost exports.

Local governments, ministries, and businesses will soon be pushing trade promotions for fruits such as lychee, rambutan, longan, durian, and avocado.

Nguyen Thanh Bình, chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said with the abundance of vegetables and fruits during harvest season, now should be the time to streamline promotions.

Trade transactions are expected to be quick, but consumption of large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables for a certain period puts great pressure on the market.

According to Binh, fresh fruits and vegetables are really special products but need to be sold quickly since after harvesting they continue the natural growth process and will spoil fast. If not sold promptly, they will cause economic losses to farmers and traders.

Hai Duong, one of 11 provinces in the Red River Delta region, has eight key agricultural products, including the most famous fruit, lychee, growing over 8,850ha, with Thanh Ha District alone with 3,285ha, according to Vu Thi Kim Phuong, deputy director of Hai Duong Province’s Industry and Trade Department.

Every year, the lychee yield in the whole province is between 55,000 tonnes and 60,000 tonnes. However, due to weather effects, the province’s lychee yield is estimated to fall to 40,000 tonnes-45,000 tonnes this year.

Along with the domestic market, Thanh Ha lychees have been exported to China, Japan, Japan, France, the United States, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Belgium, the Netherlands, Thailand, Singapore, and the Middle East.

Lychee exports still face some difficulties with market expansion and risks in international payments.

In addition, agricultural product exports now are mainly fresh or raw, so they do not bring in high economic value and many exporters do not have warehousing facilities.

Therefore, consumption of fresh lychees is being promoted actively. After the lychee and longan crops, the harvest season of other agricultural produce such as passion fruit, jackfruit and dragon fruit is set to follow.

Tran Quang Tan, director of Bac Giang Province’s Industry and Trade Department, said that the province’s lychee yield this year is expected to be nearly 100,000 tonnes.

Lychee harvest season ends at the end of July, with the sales price ranging from 25,000 dong to 70,000 dong per kilo.

Meanwhile, Bien Tan Tai, deputy director of Binh Thuan Province’s Industry and Trade Department, also said Binh Thuan would harvest dragon fruits from June to September. The dragon fruit yield this year is estimated to reach about 170,000 tonnes. — Viet Nam News/ANN
Vietnam
HANOI: Vietnam’s seasonal fresh fruits are about to enter peak harvest season and the volumes offer perfect opportunities to boost exports.