Vietnam ready to monitor lychee exports to Japan

Illustrative photo (Source: VNA)

Japan has authorised Vietnamese quarantine officers to replace their Japanese counterparts and directly supervise batches of lychee exports, which must be sterilised prior to being exported to the country, Hoang Trung, Director of the Plant Protection Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has said.

Everything is in place to carry out the task immediately, he affirmed.

Vietnam will take the initiative in related technical processes and working schedules.

Together with localities and businesses, the department can immediately agree on working schedules, reducing time and cost and enabling them to determine working hours, Trung explained.

He underscored that this is a foundation for Vietnam not having to depend on Japanese experts in the future, in regard to not only lychees but also other fruit.

The department has arranged for sub-departments to monitor the two northern provinces of Bac Giang and Hai Duong - both lychee-growing areas - and provide the resources needed to support the localities and their businesses at all times.

Bac Giang is home to 219.45 ha of lychee orchards serving export to Japan that produce about 1,860 tonnes annually. Five businesses are involved in purchasing and exporting local lychees to the north Asian country.

Meanwhile, the harvest from 500 ha of lychee orchards in Hai Duong is designated for export to the US, Australia, and Japan.

The department will send experts to supervise the work on-site as well as quarantine forces to issue papers and seal the batches on the spot./.