400 ha of early-ripening Phuong Nam lychees yield VND 61 billion

Application of techniques for early ripening lychees

Uong Bi City (Quang Ninh) has approximately 400 ha of early-ripening lychees, with over 290 ha applying the VietGAP production process. This is considered the largest lychee-growing area in Quang Ninh province.

The early-ripening lychees in Uong Bi are primarily cultivated in Phuong Nam Ward, with the most significant areas being Bach Dang 1, Bach Dang 2, Hiep Thanh, Phong Thai, Hong Ha, Hong Hai, Da Bac, and Cam Hong. The early-ripening Phuong Nam lychee has thick flesh, a translucent white colour, a crispy texture, thin skin, and a bright red colour when ripe. It has a characteristic aroma, a sweet, refreshing taste with a mild sourness, and no bitterness, making it popular among consumers. The harvesting period for lychees lasts from mid-May to before June 6, preceding the main lychee season.

According to Mr. Bui Van Tra, Chairman of the Farmers’ Association of Phuong Nam Ward, to achieve early ripening lychees, Uong Bi City has developed a model to control winter shoots and stabilize flower bud differentiation in early ripening Phuong Nam lychees, ensuring consistent annual fruiting.

From the beginning of the year, lychee farmers in the region have proactively addressed the risk of early lychee crop loss by pruning branches to focus nutrients on flower development, minimizing the impact when the trees produce shoots. Uong Bi City has closely collaborated with specialized agencies to guide farmers in cultivation and care according to the VietGAP process. As a result, this year’s lychee crop saw only about 20% of the area not meeting the expected yield.

“Our goal is to enhance the quality of early ripening Phuong Nam lychees, maintaining each kilogram to only 18-20 fruits and promoting earlier ripening times. Currently, the ripening period is concentrated around the 10th to 15th of the fourth lunar month, which coincides with the harvest time of early ripening lychees in other regions, hence the selling price is not significantly higher. Recently, we have developed a model to control winter shoots and stabilize flower bud differentiation to ensure even and earlier fruiting”, Mr. Tra shared.

Ms. Ngo Thi Chung (Hiep Thanh area, Phuong Nam ward) excitedly shared, “Previously, the local people’s care for lychee trees was not based on a standardized technical process, relying mainly on experience, which resulted in low yield and quality. In recent years, my family has adhered to the VietGAP process, combining it with our experience, leading to significantly improved outcomes. The lychees ripen evenly, are larger, and have fewer stem borers”.

Digitalizing lychee growing areas

In addition to following the VietGAP care process, since 2022, the Farmers’ Association of Phuong Nam ward has guided lychee farmers in adopting the OTAS standard system. This helps farmers comprehensively manage the entire lychee cultivation and care process, such as the types and amounts of fertilizers used, pest conditions, etc. Additionally, when the products reach the market, consumers can trace and verify the origin of Phuong Nam early-ripening lychees.

The model for standardizing the data of Phuong Nam early-ripening lychee growing areas according to the OTAS standard system has been implemented on an area of 30 hectares, with over 100 farmer members participating. The project aims to digitize information about Phuong Nam early-ripening lychee products, including care processes, tree age, growth characteristics, harvest time, and pest control methods for each period. This facilitates product promotion and provides geographical indications on international Google Maps.

“This is a very important project implemented to digitalize agricultural development, serving production and enhancing the brand of Phuong Nam early-ripening lychees”, said Bui Van Tra, Chairman of the Farmers’ Association of Phuong Nam ward.

Livestreaming the sale of early-ripening lychees

To increase the value and quality of lychees and boost product consumption, in the 2023-2024 lychee season, the People’s Committee of Phuong Nam ward has intensified cooperation with functional units to conduct training classes for hundreds of lychee-growing households on care techniques and pest control for lychee trees. The internal road system has been gradually upgraded and expanded to ensure traffic safety and security measures have been regularly maintained to support the lychee harvest season. Additionally, the People’s Committee has promptly updated news and promoted the Phuong Nam early-ripening lychee brand to consumers.

Notably, trade promotion efforts have been renewed by proactively connecting businesses and traders with producers. The year 2024 marks the first time that entities have organized livestream sessions to promote the image of Phuong Nam early-ripening lychees on social media platforms.

The event is part of the “Vietnam Goods Week – Uong Bi 2024” program organized by the Quang Ninh Center for Promotion and Industrial Development.

With the engaging and humorous style of TikToker “Co Tho Nong San,” the first Livestream session promoting Phuong Nam early-ripening lychees attracted thousands of views and likes, and hundreds of comments and shares.

Mr Pham Van Tri (Da Bac area, Phuong Nam ward, Uong Bi city) excitedly shared, “My garden has over 100 lychee trees, with each tree yielding about 40kg. Although the lychee yield is slightly lower this year compared to previous years, the prices are high and stable. The price of lychees sold to traders for cold storage has increased by about VND 7,000/kg, while the price for direct sales in the market has increased by over VND 10,000/kg compared to last year.”

According to Mr Tri’s calculations, this year’s lychee garden will yield a profit of nearly VND 200 million. With this amount, Mr. Tri can take care of his family’s living expenses and reinvest in maintaining and improving the productivity and quality of his lychee garden.