Farmers belonging to the Nhân Tâm Agricultural Service Co-operative in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province’s Xuyên Mộc District harvest longan on lands that have been allotted farming codes. — VNA/VNS Photo

TOKYO — Việt Nam should maintain the high quality of its farm produce, especially longan, to clinch its position in the Japanese market, according to Vietnamese Trade Councillor in Japan Tạ Đức Minh.

Last week, the first batch of fresh longans arrived in Japan, becoming the fourth kind of fruit to be sold in the choosy Japanese market after dragon fruit, mango and litchi.

According to Minh, Việt Nam and Japan started negotiations on Japan’s opening of the market for Vietnamese fresh longan six years ago and reached an agreement on November 23, 2022.

On January 3, Hoàng Phát Co Ltd shipped 10 tonnes of fresh longan to Japan. After that, the firm will export about 70-100 tonnes of the product each month to the market.

Minh said that the Việt Nam Trade Office in Japan would coordinate with exporters and Vietnamese authorities to organise promotion programmes to popularise this speciality fruit to Japanese consumers and the Vietnamese community in Japan.

He expressed his hope that Vietnamese fresh longan will also affirm its position in Japan like fresh litchi.

The official noted that currently, Vietnamese dragon fruits hold 80 per cent of the market share in Japan, while that of mango is 6.6 per cent and fresh bananas 0.8 per cent. Meanwhile, some kinds of fruit that have just been sold in Japan for 2-3 years, like durian, litchi and frozen longan, have also seen good sales.

Longan is cultivated in some southern localities of Japan. Still, the production is modest, he noted, stressing that the opening of markets for Vietnamese fresh longan is a great chance for Vietnamese farmers, and at the same time, manifests the high quality of the products, enabling it to enter other markets in the world.

However, Minh warned exporters to ensure the high and stable quality of longan exported to the Japanese market to win local consumers' confidence.

He highlighted the strict technical standards and plant quarantine process for Vietnamese fresh longan in Japan, advising local farmers to follow the quality management procedures in all production stages to ensure the highest quality of their products.

He also recommended that exporters upgrade their preservation equipment and technology to ensure that longan is kept fresh with a preserved taste for a longer time. — VNS