Soi Hà pomelos are placed in a container to be delivered to the UK from Yên Sơn District, Tuyên Quang Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hải

TUYÊN QUANG — Nearly 8,000 pomelos grown in the northern province of Tuyên Quang have been exported to the United Kingdom.

They are one of the seven specialty agricultural products of the province chosen to be introduced to the foreign market.

The pomelos, nicknamed Soi Hà pomelos, were grown in Soi Hà Town in Xuân Vân Commune, Yên Sơn District. They were given geographical indications by the Intellectual Property Office (under the Ministry of Science and Technology) in 2022.

The fruits selected for export had a sweetness level of 11.5 degrees Brix or higher, even yellow peel with no sunburn spots or insect bites, which met the UK’s requirements for imported fruit, according to Lê Quang Toàn, deputy chairman of Yên Sơn District’s People's Committee.

“The fruits were harvested before October 15, weighing between 1 to 1.2 kilograms each,” he said.

“They were tested for pesticide residues two weeks before harvesting, with the residues within the permissible values by European residue standards.”

According to Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hương, director of R.Y.B Joint Stock Company, which delivered the pomelos to the UK, the UK is one of the most difficult markets in Europe with strict regulations.

“However, Soi Hà pomelos received positive feedback and generated orders immediately during our market testing,” she said.

“With the advantages of early harvest, uniform size and sweet flavour without bitterness, the pomelos may be able to gain access into more European markets in the future.”

This was the second batch of agricultural produce that Tuyên Quang had exported to the UK this year.

On October 11, six other signature products left the province for the UK. They are guava tea, honey-soaked papaya flowers, dried bananas, black bean tea, lemon syru, and kumquat syrup.

The exports laid an important foundation for developing key products and specialties in the province, which will gradually establish the brand and value of Tuyên Quang agricultural products in both domestic and international markets. — VNS