Vietnamese province to export litchi to US

THE litchi business in Viet Nam’s Hai Duong province is gearing for growth. Farmers in the area are preparing for their first-ever export to the United States.

Litchi farming is a main livelihood in the province, but it has yet to see market expansion. Interest from the US has encouraged farmers to upgrade practices. They have received financial support to meet the Vietnamese good agricultural practice (VietGAP) standards. Farmers have also signed an agreement to grow litchi using only safe pesticides (no harmful chemicals), such as those made available to them. Training is an on-going program to ensure products meet safety and quality requirements of their market.

The Thanh Ha district in particular has 25 hectares of litchi that meet VietGAP standards, including 10 hectares of litchi destined for the US, a report in the Vietnam News Agency said.

Last year, the United States Department of Agriculture amended its fruits and vegetables regulations, in order to allow pesticide-free litchi as well as longan to be imported from Viet Nam.