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Many specialty fruits and also key export items such as durian, lychee, mango, dragon fruit, etc are in the main season so the supply of vegetables and fruits is quite abundant. Photo: N.T

According to the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), competition in agricultural products and fruits of the same type among exporting countries is increasingly fierce. In order for Vietnamese branded agricultural products and Vietnamese branded agricultural products to appear widely and affirm their value on commodity shelves in the international distribution system, export businesses and producers are required to constantly improve product quality, adapt to regulations on quality standards, quarantine testing requirements, packaging, goods, and traceability according to the requirements of the importing country.

Mr. Tran Quang Tan, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Bac Giang province, said that Bac Giang early lychee harvest began on May 20, expected to end at the end of July 2024. This year's lychee output in Bac Giang province decreased by nearly 50% compared to last year due to unfavorable weather. The province's lychee output is forecast to be nearly 100,000 tons in 2024. Up to now, in the province, the harvesting and consumption of lychees is taking place very vibrantly; The selling price of lychee ranges from 25-70 thousand VND/kg.

Mr. Tan added that Bac Giang currently maintains and strictly controls 223 area codes for lychee growing for export with an area of ​​nearly 17,200 hectares and 40 fresh lychee packaging facilities for export. Mr. Tan proposed promoting the advertisement and consumption of lychees on domestic and foreign e-commerce platforms; information on new policies and regulations on import, procedures, quality certification, food safety, etc of foreign markets for lychees and products processed from lychees; promote and introduce Bac Giang lychees to consumers in other countries; Introducing businesses and traders to Bac Giang province to survey, purchase and consume lychees in the 2024 season.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that agriculture is a production industry that depends heavily on nature. This creates seasonality in agricultural production and products created from agricultural production are also seasonal, including vegetables and fruits.

“The output of vegetables and fruits during the season is the largest compared to non-seasonal times, so the supply of vegetables and fruits during the season is the most abundant, trading transactions and contract implementation will be convenient and quicker. Therefore, prices during the normal season are the lowest," Mr. Binh said, emphasizing that the huge amount of harvested fruits and vegetables puts pressure on infrastructure and services serving harvesting, preserving and storage while Vietnam is very lacking and weak in these areas.

According to Mr. Binh, vegetables and fruits are special products with a very short storage life. If not processed promptly, without appropriate preservation technology and storage, and without a place to consume, the fruits and vegetables will causes damage to society.

To avoid the situation of "a good harvest losing its value", the representative of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association said that it is necessary to organize and rearrange the production stage, establish cooperatives to form production material areas according to plans, markets, comply with regulatory and safety procedures, ensure traceability, apply high technology, good agricultural production practices (VietGap, GlobalGap, etc) to produce high quality, safe products and in accordance with market demand; Research to reduce seasonality in agricultural production such as spreading crops and off-seasons to reduce pressure on consumption and increase profits. In addition, it is necessary to invest more in post-harvest technology, machinery, equipment, and means of harvesting, preservation, and transportation that are suitable for fruit and vegetable products to reduce the rate of damage (35-40 %); Encourage investment in agricultural product processing industry to reduce the proportion of fresh and raw exports, etc.