Farmers in northern Hung Yen province have reason to cheer as their first batch of longan will be dispatched to the United States shortly.
According to Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Doan Thi Chai, the province has more than 20 hectares of longan granted regional codes for export to the US.
They crop has been grown by over 170 local households in Hong Nam commune in Hung Yen city and Ham Tu commune in Khoai Chau district, and they expect to harvest about 80 tonnes this year, she said.
The official also noted that all coded longan areas will be cultivated under the Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) standards in which farmers only use permitted bio-pesticides and keep spray diaries to ensure longan quality and safety.
The farmers have been trained in longan growing techniques and the proper use of herbicides and taught the export procedures required by the US and other overseas markets. They have also been helped by the provincial DARD to monitor plant diseases and pesticide residues.
Hung Yen province has more than 3,000 hectares of longan grown in peak season, two thirds of which are farmed in Khoai Chau, Tien Lu and Kim Dong districts and Hung Yen city.
The province has been working with local growers to build intensive longan farming areas in a bid to improve fruit quality and productivity.
