According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country's lychee output was likely to top 200,000 tonnes this year, with 40 per cent being exported. — File Photo

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — Wholesale markets and distributors in HCM City have plans in place to boost sales of lychee, a city leader told a meeting in HCM City yesterday.

Nguyen Thi Hong, People's Committee dep-uty chairwoman, said last year the city had consumed 60,000 tonnes, or 50 per cent of the nation's total.

About 80,000 tonnes are expected to be sold in the city this year, she said, adding that wholesalers and retailers had met with businesses in Hai Duong and Bac Giang provinces to discuss transport of the fruits to the south.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country's lychee output was likely to top 200,000 tonnes this year, with 40 per cent being exported.

Trinh Diep Thanh Thao, deputy director of the Thu Duc Wholesale Market, said the market had set up three new stalls to sell lychee after getting 11,500 tonnes in the period between May 17 and June 9.

Co-opMart supermarket chain expected to sell 800 tonnes of lychees this year.

It now sold 10-15 tonnes daily and the volume could reach 30 tonnes at times, Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, deputy general director of Sai Gon Co.op, said, adding that the supermarket offered promotions to boost consumption.

Ho Quoc Nguyen, Big C's public relations director, said the supermarket was likely to sell more than 300 tonnes this year and it too offered promotions.

Previously, Ha Noi authorities also said that they would soon grant trading licences to lychee traders in Hai Duong Province so they can open mobile lychee shops at vacant places in Ha Noi.

Ha Noi Industry and Trade Department director Le Hong Thang said his city and Hai Duong Province would introduce one more distribution system for lychees, apart from other distribution systems in wholesale markets, trading centres and supermarkets. The authorities of communes and market management boards would arrange vacant lots for enterprises and traders from Hai Duong to sell their lychees in Ha Noi, he added.

Improve quality

Workers package lychees at a workshop assessed by the US Department of Agriculture as qualified to package the fruit for export to the US. — VNA/VNS Photo Manh Minh

At the meeting yesterday in HCM City, authorities also called on lychee farmers to adopt VietGap and Global-Gap standards on more areas to improve the quality of their fruits and meet hygiene and food safety requirements in both domestic and export markets.

Hong said lychee was now mainly consumed as fresh fruit, and so preservation methods to keep it fresh for longer were needed.

Besides, research should be done into processing fresh lychee so that a spike in supply after a harvest did not send prices crashing, she said.

Thao said businesses should pay attention to packaging and building brands for the fruit.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said building a value chain for the fruit was very important.

"It took almost 10 years for Viet Nam to complete necessary procedures to export lychee to the US and Australia. — VNS