Hai Duongs first lychees of season to enter market

The extremely early maturing lychees of Hai Duong will be picked from May 5 this year (Illustrative image)

Approximately 15,000-18,000 tonnes of this season’s first crop of lychees will be picked in the northern province of Hai Duong in early May this year to supply the market, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD).

The DARD said that the rate of flowering and matured fruit is estimated to reach more than 95%, making this year’s bumper crop of lychees the biggest of the past five years.

Deputy Director of the DARD Vu Thi Ha said that Hai Duong is expected to harvest 55,000 - 60,000 tonnes of lychees this year, including 15,000 - 18,000 tonnes of early matured fruit with the focus in Thanh Ha and Chi Linh districts.

"It is scheduled that the extremely early maturing lychees of Hai Duong will be picked from May 5 this year and the early maturing lychees are expected to be picked from May 15-25, while the remaining harvest is anticipated to fall on May 20-June 20 this year," Ha added.

Notably, Hai Duong has built 13 areas which meet the standards of growing lychees for export to the US, Australia, and the EU, with a total area of more than 131.6 ha, which can produce a total output of about 1,000 tonnes of lychees, including 187ha with a capacity of 1,500 tonnes meeting VietGAP standards.

However, Ha noted that a bumper crop of lychees in the North will also create pressure on consumption due to the limited consumption markets of lychees and the dependence on the Chinese market.

Hai Duong has planned to organise a lychee and farm produce festival in late May this year to introduce and promote the values of its agricultural products to consumers at home and abroad.