The Ministry of Industry and Trade held a meeting with Vietnam Trade Offices abroad on May 31 to discuss ways to boost the exports of lychees and longans as many northern localities are harvesting the fruits.

Speaking at the event, Director of the Bac Giang provincial Department of Industry and Trade Tran Quang Tan said the province’s total lychee production is estimated at a record of over 180,000 tonnes this year. The harvesting period is scheduled from May 25 to July 30.

Apart from the traditional market of China, its promising markets include the US, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the Middle East, Thailand and Hong Kong (China).

Director of the Hai Duong provincial Department of Industry and Trade Tran Van Hao said the province now has nearly 9,000ha of lychees and expects to harvest around 61,000 tonnes this year, about 31,000 tonnes of them are early-ripening lychees.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai asked relevant units to regularly update the situation of farm produce and overseas demand for these products, including lychees and longans.

The Vietnam Trade Offices abroad were assigned to closely follow the market situation, trade policies and export requirements for key commodities, thus providing timely advices for the ministry’s leaders to support localities, associations, and businesses.

The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) must step up policy research and forecasting to offer all possible support to enterprises in trade promotion and export-import activities, he said.

VNA