A farmer in the northern province of Bắc Giang's Lục Ngan District harvests lychee. — VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh

HÀ NỘI — Japanese experts are set to arrive in Việt Nam on June 3 to examine and supervise phytosanitary measures for the lychees destined for the Northeast Asian market, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The ministry said under regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control, foreigners arriving in Việt Nam must be kept in quarantine for 14 days. However, since the lychee harvest time lasts for only one month, in June, it proposed Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam, head of the national steering committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, allow Japanese experts to be exempted from the mandatory quarantine so that the Vietnamese fruit can be exported in line with Japan’s requirements.

MARD noted it will co-ordinate with authorities of Bắc Giang and Hải Dương, two lychee farming hubs in Việt Nam, to ensure preventive measures for the disease during the experts’ stay in the northern provinces.

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) requested that their experts must come to Việt Nam to examine and supervise phytosanitary measures and treatment for each batch of lychees, and only those recognised to be eligible by them can be shipped to Japan.

This year will mark the first time fresh lychees of Việt Nam enter the demanding market of Japan.

Over the last four years, MARD has worked with the MAFF to conduct testing and negotiations to pave the way for the export. On December 15th, 2019, MAFF agreed to import lychee from Việt Nam.

La Văn Nam, chairman of the People’s Committee of Lục Ngạn District in Bắc Giang Province, said their lychees would be shipped to Japan during this crop.

Nam said since December, the district has co-operated with MARD’s Plant Protection Department to actively prepare raw material areas for lychee exports.

The department has granted 18 codes for lychee planting areas in the district which are eligible for export to Japan. The COVID-19 pandemic halted the export of the first lychee batch to Japan.

Earlier, Japanese experts went to Lục Ngạn to check and were satisfied with the lychee growing areas granted export standard codes. However, Japanese experts still have to directly supervise the process of harvesting, preserving and packaging of lychees exported to this market.

The district will have to test a line of packaging and preserving lychees and Japanese experts will supervise and re-evaluate for the last time before the first shipment is exported.

The batch of lychees exported must be packed and treated with methyl bromide fumigation at facilities approved by the Plant Protection Department and MAFF with a minimum dosage of 32g per cu.m within two hours, under the supervision of Vietnamese and Japanese plant quarantine officers. — VNS