Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has proposedJapan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to considerspecial and creative solutions solving difficulties for Vietnam’s export offresh lychees to Japan.

The proposal was sent by Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh after theMAFF announced that it was impossible to send experts to Vietnam to inspect andrecognise the disinfection treatment system of fresh lychee exported from Vietnamdue to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore, the export of Vietnam’sfresh lychee to the Japanese market for the first time would not be implementedin the 2020 lychee harvest.

In the proposal, Anh said the handling of such difficulties would be suitablewith the ASEAN–Japan Economic Ministers' Joint Statement on Initiatives onEconomic Resilience in Response to the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19)Outbreak.

The MoIT leader has also asked the Vietnamese Ambassador in Japan to work with theMAFF to persuade them to consider other solutions instead of having to sendexperts to Vietnam to inspect disinfection facilities.

The solutions include giving temporary authority to independent inspectionorganisations in Vietnam to inspect disinfection facilities in the short termor coordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnamto implement remote inspection measures (checks on files and via livestream ofdisinfection facilities).

The ministry has also sent document to its branches in the northern provincesof Hai Duong and Bac Giang, which are hubs of Vietnamese lychees, asking themto closely coordinate with its agencies to solve difficulties for the export oflychees to Japan.

According to Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’sPlant Protection Department Hoang Trung, all the technical issues to shiplychees to Japan have been completed, including growing area codes, theissuance of codes for packaging facilities, especially the building ofdisinfection treatment facilities following the Japan’s request.

The lychee is currently growing well, Trung said, adding that his departmenthas sent officials to localities, conducting a food hygiene programme for lychees.

This year, Bac Giang province has over 28,000ha of lychees with an estimatedoutput of over 160,000 tonnes, an increase of 10,000 tonnes year-on-year.

To prepare for the first fresh lychee batch exported to Japan, Bac Giangauthorities have coordinated with the Plant Protection Department to select andpropose the Japanese side to approve 19 growing area codes with a total area of103ha, with an estimated output of 600 tonnes in Yên The and Luc Ngan districts.

Meanwhile, Hai Duong province has 9,700ha with an estimated output of45,000 tonnes. The province has built 23 lychee and longan growing areas, whichmet standards of Japanese, American, Australian and EU markets for plantquarantine and food safety./.