HÀ NỘI — The 2017 Lục Ngạn–Bắc Giang Lychee Week in Hà Nội kicked off at the Big C Thăng Long Supermarket today, June 16, with “thiều” lychee being the special draw for customers.

The event, lasting through June 23, is jointly organised by northern povince of Bắc Giang’s Industry and Trade Department, Lục Ngạn District’s People’s Committee, Hà Nội’s Industry and Trade Department and Big C Supermarket.

“The event, held in Hà Nội for the second time, aims to promote the image of thiều lychee, a speciality of Lục Ngạn District, as well as introduce the province’s farm produce to customers from Hà Nội and all other regions of the country,” said Trần Quang Tấn, Director of the Bắc Giang’s Industry and Trade Department, at the opening ceremony of the event.

The lychees are displayed at 10 booths with packing labels showing their origin information. Prices start from VNĐ29,000 (US$1.2) up to VNĐ68,000 per kilogramme.

Bắc Giang lychees are cultivated in a concentrated lychee-growing area. VietGAP and GlobalGAP cultivation standards are applied, ensuring clean produce that meets food safety and hygiene requirements, Tấn said, adding that “thiều lychee” are qualified for export to foreign markets such as the EU, the United States and Australia.

Trần Thị Phương Lan, Deputy Director of the Hà Nội’s Industry and Trade Department, said the event created opportunities for lychee businesses to meet and seek partners to sign trade contracts and boost lychee consumption, not only domestically but also internationally.

A lychee consumption signing ceremony among Lục Ngạn District’s People’s Committee and supermarkets and wholesale markets in Hà Nội also took place at the event.

Lê Thị Mai Linh, Executive Vice President of Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility Department at Central Group Việt Nam, the owner of Big C Việt Nam, said Big C was willing to support Vietnamese farm produce consumption in general and lychee consumption in particular.

"With the commitment to contribute to the prosperity of Việt Nam and improve quality products in the past few years, Big C Việt Nam and Central Group Việt Nam have been carrying out many activities in partnership with Vietnamese businesses and farmers to promote the image of a wide range of agricultural products and specialities from many parts of the country, and this programme with thiều lychee today is a typical example,” Linh said.

“At Big C supermarkets in Hà Nội, it is estimated that about 150 tonnes of fresh lychees, of which 70 tonnes of thiều lychee granted VietGAP and GlobalGAP certificates, are consumed on this occasion,” Linh said.

From this year’s crop, Bắc Giang’s total lychee production was estimated to reach 100,000 tonnes, including 40,000 tonnes meeting VietGap standards.

Lục Ngạn District, the largest thiều lychee growing area in Bắc Giang, has 158ha of land dedicated to producing some 1,600 tonnes of lychees according to the GlobalGap standard. — VNS