Bac Giang focuses on making lychee national product

The People’s Committee in Bac Giang province approved for the project “Developing lychee become national product” in late 2017 chaired by the Department of Science and Technology (DoCT). Though several criteria have been achieved, it needs further drastic measures to make Bac Giang’s lychee a national product. 

The farmer in Quat Du 2 village, Phuc Hoa communme (Tan Yen district) care for the lychee in line with GlobalGAP.

Criteria of scale and value are done

According to the Circular No.10 issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology on March 29, 2013, the national product must satisfy several criteria, including technology criteria (high technology, new and advanced technology in the region and world; technological secrete, useful solution, the right to the variety making the national product should be eligible for recognition and protection of property right; creating breakthrough on the capability of science and technology research and development motivation for the sector and field).

The criteria of scale and value are shown by a product with huge consumption potential in the domestic and foreign markets as well as replacement of export commodity. Total value of the product or group of product in the list of national product must reach at least 2 trillion VND (85364254 USD) per year after the implementation period while ensuring the time of investment return will not exceed 5 years. The enterprises are established to produce and do business on the national products with concentrated material areas.

The province decided to select lychee to build the national product. Accordingly, the People’s Committee in Bac Giang province approved for the project “Developing lychee become national product” in late 2017 chaired by the DoCT.

The project targeted to help lychee meet most of the criteria of national product by 2020. However, the lychee has satisfied the criteria of scale and value. Particularly Bac Giang has the biggest concentrated cultivation area nationwide. The lychee is widely sold in the domestic and exported with high value.

Since 2017, the value of the provincial lychee has hit more than 2 trillion VND, especially 4.6 trillion VND (196.3 million) in 2019.

Facilitating and attracting enterprises to invest in technology

The reason why lychee has yet to meet the national product criteria is because several contents in the project have not been completed. For example, building a high-tech model in production (smart weather forecast, automatic watering system) cannot be done due to the lack of investment and Government’s support.

The lychee cultivation area in Hong Giang commune (Luc Ngan district) is granted with growing area code for export.

Regarding the preservation technology, the DoCT coordinated to install the Jujan technology system to preserve the fresh lychee at Toan Cau Import Export Joint Stock Company in Phuong Son commune (Luc Ngan district) which is at the testing period and yet to operate stably.

Additionally, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DoARD) joint hands with the competent agency to newly grant 40 ha of lychee grown under GlobalGAP and 40 ha more will be granted this year, making up 80 out of 120 ha as set plan.

To gradually fulfil the technology criteria, currently the DoARD continues encouraging the localities to maintain the VietGAP and GlobalGAP lychee scale; providing technical training to the farmers and instructing them to make cultivation dairy toward modern growing standard.

Besides, the Soils and Fertilizers Research Institute has conducted the national project of researching the production and use of special fertilizer on lychee in Luc Ngan and Tan Yen districts.

The DoCT will further collaborate with Israeli experts to complete the lychee preservation line in this crop. The relevant agencies and sectors should execute more drastic measures to prioritize and attract the investors to socialize the investment in the science and technology research facilities to create the products with higher quality and level.