Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has becomethe second largest exporter of lychees in the world, accounting for 19 percentof the global market share, according to the International Society forHorticultural Science (ISHS).

The world's largest exporter was Madagascar,accounting for 35 percent of the global exports despite a low area ofplantations, said Sisir Kumar Mitra, an ISHS representative at the sixthinternational conference on longan and lychee in Hanoi late last week.

Following was China with 18 percent, Thailandwith 10 percent and South Africa with 9 percent.

According to consumers and companies on theglobal market, the quality of Vietnam's lychees was much better thansimilar products from India and China, he said.

The ISHS representative said in terms of output,China ranked first with 2 million tonnes per year, followed by Indiawith 677,000 tonnes and Vietnam with 380,000 tonnes.

Despite having the second largest area of lycheeplantations in the world after China, over 99 percent of India's lychees areconsumed domestically.

Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director of the Fruit andVegetable Research Institute, said Vietnam had a smaller output of lycheesagainst China and India but because of the harvest season and difference inseed quality, Vietnam had seen strong growth in lychee exports.

Deputy Director of the Bac Giang Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Viet Toan said Bac Giang provincehad over 28,500 hectares of lychees trees, including more than 14,000hectares produced under VietGAP and GlobalGap standards. The province’s outputwas estimated to reach 150,000 tonnes of lychees this year.

Besides domestic markets, Luc Ngan lycheesfrom Bac Giang are available in many countries, including China, the US,Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and the UK.

Vietnamese lychees have brand protection inChina, the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Singapore, Laos andCambodia.

Vietnam has had 18 lychee growing regionsreceiving plantation region codes from the US Department of Agriculture while36 other regions have reached export standards to ship to China this year.

Over the years, many scientific andtechnological advances have been applied in the production of longan andlychees. However, processed fruit account for only 10 percent oftotal consumption volume. 

"Fresh products will always face strictrequirements on quality, traceability and quarantine of import markets,” Hungsaid.

For instance, China had tightenedquarantine, labelling and traceability regulations for Vietnamese fruit. Vietnam’sbusinesses must update and strictly implement those requirementsto enter the neighbouring market, he said.

“Processed products do not face thesame quarantine requirements, but businesses need moreinvestment to increase quality and marketing activities,” Hung said.

Nguyen Van Phong, an expert from the SouthernFruit Institute, said the number of small-scale farmers growing rambutan,longan and lychees accounted for 70 percent of domestic production, but theyhad suffered huge losses due to poor management and traders.

The loss rate was up to 25-30 percent ofoutput. This percentage decreased slightly to 11-35 percent for farmers thatwere part of co-operatives with large production scale.

Besides that, the lack of post-harvesttechnology remained an issue.-VNA