Farmers in Vinh Hoa (Ninh Giang) take care of early lychee fruit.

Safe production

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tung's family in Ngoc Hoa village has 2 hectares of garden with more than 100 early lychee trees. Previously, Mr. Tung's family only cared for lychees based on experience and habits. The lychees were harvested and sold to traders without paying much attention to appearance and quality. In the past, he thought that the success or failure of lychee cultivation was determined by the weather. Since 2022, when participating in the VietGAP lychee production model, he has realized more benefits. Mr. Tung said: "Following VietGAP, producers can partly decide the value of lychees without depending entirely on traders. Lychees with clear origin, source, and quality are favored by customers, consumed easily, and have higher prices."

In mid-May, more than 1 hectare of early lychee of Mr. Nguyen The Tham's household is starting to bloom, preparing for harvest. According to Mr. Tham, this year the weather is unfavorable, the rate of lychee flowering and fruiting is low, down 30-40% compared to last year. Although the lychee yield is low, the quality and appearance of this crop is expected to be better because farmers are focusing on care. Production according to VietGAP seems complicated and has many steps when not familiar, but once mastered, it is convenient, saving effort and costs.

In addition to winter shoot treatment, pest control is the most difficult step when caring for lychees according to VietGAP procedures. Pesticides must be on the list of permitted uses. The time of spraying must also be appropriate, not affecting the quality. "Currently, we have stopped spraying pesticides to ensure that the time between the last spray and harvest is 15 days. Everyone hopes that this lychee crop will have a high price, especially with the VietGAP production area," said Mr. Tham.

Improve quality

Vinh Hoa commune is one of the first few localities in Ninh Giang district to plan a concentrated early lychee growing area. Currently, the whole commune has nearly 90 hectares of early lychee growing area, an increase of 50 hectares compared to 2020. Previously, early lychee was a traditional crop of the commune but had not received much attention for investment and development. Since the establishment of the VietGAP production model, especially when Vinh Hoa early lychee products were recognized as meeting 4-star OCOP standards, the value of lychee fruit has increased, and farmers have expanded their growing area. The whole commune has more than 10 hectares of early lychee with VietGAP certification.

According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dinh, Director of Vinh Hoa Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative, early lychee grown locally is different. Farmers use lychee rootstocks grafted with egg lychee branches, so lychee here is harvested early, has good quality, and tastes better and sweeter than regular early lychees. The selling price of early lychee in Vinh Hoa Commune is relatively stable, ranging from 40,000-45,000 VND/kg. People also proactively plant in separate crops to avoid the situation of simultaneous harvest and price pressure. Although the value and profit from early lychee are relatively large, in the coming time, the commune will not expand the planting area but focus on improving the quality and building the Vinh Hoa early lychee brand.

Vinh Hoa lychee growers hope that with proper production and adherence to the correct process, the position of their hometown lychee will be enhanced.