LÝ SƠN ISLANDS — The island district of Lý Sơn in the central province of Quảng Ngãi has exported 500 tonnes of purple onion – a unique farm product of the island – to Japan.

It marks the first time a Japanese company has put in an order for farm produce from the island this year.

Director of the Lý Sơn Island Company Nguyễn Văn Định said that purple onion will be harvested and exported from June to December this year.

Định said the product has to meet the high requirements of the Japanese market, which means passing strict examinations and gaining a certification of origin before shipping to the country.

He said farmers in the island have been successful in gradually applying safe farming techniques and have joined value chains with high productivity, making an attractive price for export.

Last year, the district began construction of a high-tech farm to produce organic garlic on the island, with a total investment of VNĐ4 billion (US$177,000).

Products of Lý Sơn Island including garlic, onion, seafood, garlic wine, dried seafood and seaweed were recognised by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Việt Nam, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, in 2007.

In 2015, 40 tonnes of Lý Sơn black garlic were exported to Thailand.

The island has planned to produce organic black garlic as well as garlic oils for export to Japan, the US and other Asian countries.

Lý Sơn garlic and purple onion have a distinct flavour and a high demand both at home and in foreign markets.

The island produced 2,500 tonnes of garlic and 6,500 tonnes of purple onion from 1,000ha of farmland last year.

The island, known as the Kingdom of Garlic in Việt Nam, has around 21,000 inhabitants, of whom 73 per cent make their living from farming garlic and spring onions, alongside fishing. — VNS