Bac Giang sees a bumper but low price- longan crop

After a bumper lychee crop with high prices, the people of Bac Giang province get in the longan harvest season. This year, the longan crop is bountiful but its price is low while the consumption has not been paid due attention by local governments and competent agencies. 

A longan garden at Phuc Le hamlet, Phuc Hoa commune, Tan Yen district is in harvest. Photo: Chau Giang.

Lower and unstable prices

Thanks to favorable weather, longan sees a bumper crop this year with a total productivity of some 18,000 tons, a threefold increase compared to the previous year. The districts of Luc Ngan, Luc Nam, Tan Yen and Yen The are localities having large longan- growing areas. In early season, the longan prices are pretty high ranging from 35,000 to 40,000 VND (1.5 to 1.7 USD) per kilo. On recent days when longan is fully ripe, the prices have been decreased, lower than last year.

Luc Nam district has about 600 hectares of longan cultivation with an estimated productivity of 9,000 tons, up 40% compared to the previous crop. The farmers started harvesting longan since middle July and sold longan to traders right at their gardens at 30,000 to 35,000 VND (1.3 to 1.7 USD) per kilo. After a short time, the prices have fallen to 7,000 to 9,000 VND (0.3-0.4 USD) per kilo but it is not easy to sell.

Similarly, the prices of longan on 6 August in Tan Yen and Yen The districts ranged from 8,000 to 12,000 VND (0.3-0.5 USD) per kilo. In some gardens growing new seeds under VietGap procedures, longan is sold at higher prices but dramatically decreased, lower than the same period of last year by 3,000 to 5,000 VND (0.1 to 0.2 USD) per kilo. 

This time, numerous traders come to purchase longan selling to different provinces and cities. However, the linkage between production and consumption has not received the involvement of local cooperatives and enterprises like other agricultural products.

Lack of solutions to support consumption

Currently, Bac Giang province has about 2,900 hectares of longan growing that keep being expanded. Many districts encouraged improving quality by planning the specialized cultivation areas, applying season extension techniques, new seeds and VietGap procedures in production.

Particularly, Luc Nam district established a 130- hectare longan growing area for export following VietGap procedures at the communes of Dan Hoi and Luc Son. Besides, they expanded the area growing late ripen longan by 40%.

However, consumption of this agricultural produce has not been well implemented. According to representatives of the Division of Agriculture and Rural Development of Yen The and Tan Yen districts, the bumper longan crop has not received considerable support by the communal government and the districts’ competent divisions in consumption. Yen The district pay much attention to their key products such as tea, hill-grazed chicken and lychee. Although they also direct developing longan production, they face difficulty in seeking consumption market for longan.

So far, many localities have expanded longan- growing areas and improved its quality. However, consumption promotion of this product has not been paid attention. According to Dao Xuan Cuong, Vice Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, the importance of longan consumption market has not been attached as for some other agricultural products because it is not included in the lists of local key and typical products. Currently, the districts take responsibilities for supporting consumption.

The harvest of this fruit will last until October; thus, the localities should continue boosting consumption promotion and supporting traders in purchasing and processing products. For a long-term, it is necessary to define longan as one of the key fruits of the province in line with directing production and improving product’s quality, establishing Bac Giang’s longan trade brand, supporting consumption promotion and encouraging the production-consumption linkage.