Chinese traders have been actively purchasing lychees in Bac Giang to resell in their domestic market. In just the past 10 days, around 4,000 tons of early-ripening lychees from this northern Vietnamese province have been exported to China.

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Chinese traders are stepping up their lychee purchases in Vietnam. Photo: Tam An

Meanwhile, Chinese seedless lychees are being widely advertised on online marketplaces in Vietnam at prices ranging from 600,000 to 700,000 VND per kilogram (approximately USD 23.60 to USD 27.50), significantly higher than the price of premium domestic lychees.

While Chinese lychees are making their way into the Vietnamese market, Chinese traders are simultaneously ramping up their purchases of Vietnamese lychees for export back to China.

Speaking to VietNamNet on June 12, Nguyen Van Tho, Deputy Head of the Trade Management Department of Bac Giang’s Department of Industry and Trade, noted that this year’s lychee harvest is bountiful and visually appealing, prompting Chinese traders to intensify procurement efforts from the very beginning of the season.

Early-season lychees are currently selling at prices ranging from 20,000 to 35,000 VND per kilogram (around USD 0.79 to USD 1.38). Lychees grown under VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards are being purchased through guaranteed contracts at a stable price of 35,000 VND per kilogram (about USD 1.38).

In just 10 days, approximately 4,000 tons of early-ripening Bac Giang lychees have been exported to China.

At the Bac Giang lychee consumption promotion conference held in late May, representatives from the Guangxi and Yunnan authorities in China pledged to encourage enterprises and traders to visit Vietnam for purchasing negotiations.

Companies from Chongqing, Zhejiang, and Hainan also committed to traveling to Bac Giang to source lychees directly.

"The lychee output in Bac Giang this year is estimated at 165,000 tons, with about 70,000 tons expected to be exported to China," Tho added. China remains the primary export market for Bac Giang lychees.

In addition to the traditional Chinese market, Bac Giang lychees are also being exported to the EU, US, Canada, Japan, and Australia.

“This year, the supply and distribution chain for Bac Giang lychees in the EU has basically been completed,” said Tho. It is expected that EU importers and distributors will purchase about 200 tons of lychees to stock supermarket shelves across the region.

Additionally, around 150 tons are expected to be exported to the US and Canada, with 200 tons each bound for Japan and Australia.

Tam An