Bắc Giang Province has an estimated output of over 160,000 tonnes of lychees this year. — Photo thoibaonganhang.vn

HÀ NỘI — Bắc Giang Province will promote domestic consumption of lychees due to difficulties faced in exporting this kind of fruit this year.

If Bắc Giang could not export lychees this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the province would focus on promoting domestic consumption as Việt Nam is a potential market with about 90 million people, according to Chairman of Bắc Giang Province People's Committee Dương Văn Thái.

This is one of the province's three scenarios for consuming this fruit this year. The other two scenarios are lychees could still be exported, Thái said.

This year, Bắc Giang Province has over 28,000ha of lychees with an estimated output of over 160,000 tonnes, an increase of 10,000 tonnes year-on-year.

Of which, Bắc Giang has 19 lychee growing areas granted codes by Japanese side to export lychees with a total area of 103ha, and an estimated output of 600 tonnes in Yên Thế and Lục Ngạn districts.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, customs clearance for import and export goods is still being implemented slowly at the northern border gates due to the strict pandemic prevention measures. This has affected the export of many kinds of fruit, including lychee.

The ministry has recommended enterprises exporting farm produce, including lychees, to consider transporting of export goods by train to reduce volume of goods getting held up at the border gates.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường said his ministry has actively worked with provinces and cities producing agricultural products, especially Bắc Giang and Hải Dương which account for 50 per cent of the total lychee output nationwide, to develop solutions on boosting consumption of those products.

In 2020, Hải Dương has a total lychee area of about 9,750 hectares producing an estimated output of 45,000 tonnes, nearly double compared to 2019. — VNS