More effective trade promotion activities are needed to promote the exports of fruit, especially longans and lychees, as the country is estimated to have seen a bumper harvest this year while shipments to key markets have declined and domestic consumption has fallen, according to analysts.

Total fruit production is estimated to have reached 2.6 million tons in the second quarter of the year, including 330,000 tons of lychees and 110,000 tons of longans, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Export revenues of lychee and longan last year reached $27.4 million and $13.9 million, down 42.3 per cent and 40.4 per cent year-on-year, respectively.

Exports of longans and lychees are expected to recover this year, as China - a key export market - has reopened.

In order to boost exports of the fruit, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai suggested diversifying export markets and products as well as distribution channels, including the use of e-commerce.

Export support activities should be implemented in a timely and practical manner, focusing on the provision of information relating to trade policies, requirements and standards in markets, market demand, and forecasts on factors that may affect the competitiveness of Vietnamese products, he told a recent conference to discuss measures to boost the export of lychees and longans as many northern localities are harvesting the fruit.

Speaking at the event, Director of the Bac Giang Provincial Department of Industry and Trade Tran Quang Tan said the province’s total lychee production is estimated at a record 180,000 tons this year. The harvest is scheduled to run from May 25 to July 30.

Director of the Hai Duong Provincial Department of Industry and Trade Tran Van Hao said the province now has nearly 9,000 ha of lychees and expects to harvest around 61,000 tons this year, about 31,000 tons of which are early-ripening lychees.

Vietnamese fresh lychees have entered 30 markets, including the Middle East, the US, China, the EU, Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN countries.

Longans have been shipped to Japan and the EU.