Export links, bringing longan fruit across the ocean

Longan growing area is mainly concentrated in Co Do district and O Mon district.

Ido longan and longan in Can Tho are now exported to a number of countries such as the United States, Australia, China... To export longan fruit sustainably and long-term, many factors are required; including a harmonious connection between farmers and businesses; growing areas complying with cultivation processes so that longan fruit meets export standards.

When longan is exported

Co Do district is the locality with the largest longan growing area in Can Tho city with over 330ha; of which, there are 115ha with 33 growing areas with codes. Thoi Hung commune in Co Do district is known as a fertile land, soil suitable for longan, especially longan. For 6 years, longan in Thoi Hung has been exported to demanding markets such as the United States, Australia...

In association with a longan fruit exporting enterprise, Trang Ti Garden Cooperative has signed a contract with the purchasing enterprise. Accordingly, the enterprise will purchase all longan fruit that meets export standards, and the cooperative will consume the unqualified longan fruit domestically.

Mr. Tran Phu Son, Director of Trang Ti Garden Cooperative, shared that the price of longan purchased by the cooperative is sometimes 40-50% higher than the market price. However, the story is not that the enterprise purchases higher than the market price but that it is "superior". For example, the cooperative sells the early season longans to the associated enterprise at a high price. When the main season comes, the price of longan drops, but the enterprise still purchases at a higher price than the market price.

Since the cooperative's longan fruit has reached the international market, it has changed the cultivation and production of cooperative members. When farmers grow longan for export, they will be instructed on planting techniques, cultivation processes, and fertilization so that the longan flowers bloom in unison, the fruit is uniform in size, "disease-free", and the correct fruit cutting techniques...

"Exporting longan not only helps farmers sell at high prices and increase their income, but also improves their qualifications," Mr. Phu Son affirmed.

With an area of ​​80 hectares of longan (of which 30 hectares are certified by VietGAP, 10 hectares are organic), it is expected that in 2025, Trang Ti Garden Cooperative will harvest longan with an output of about 600 tons; of which, about 300 tons will be exported, the rest will be consumed domestically.

In addition, the cooperative also cooperates in growing longan according to GlobalGAP standards for export enterprises; and grows more ido longan. The cooperative's orientation in the coming time is to expand the growing area, cooperate with more longan exporting enterprises to consume the fruit output for 20 members.

Good agricultural practices

As a company that has exported Can Tho longan fruit for 6 years, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung, General Director of Vina T&T Import-Export Trading Service Company Limited (abbreviated as Vina T&T Company) said that currently, longan fruit originating from Vietnam has a certain position in the market, especially the US and Australian markets, but to spread to the markets and supermarkets of these two markets, it is required to have other standards (GlobalGAP growing area certification) in addition to the mandatory standard of not violating prohibited active ingredients.

Therefore, to make longan fruit valuable and branded, businesses and farmers must grow certified longan fruit together to export to more markets despite high costs.

With experience in exporting fruit to many demanding markets, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung analyzed that in the past, longan fruit was grown on a small area, with low output, so few people knew about it and paid attention to it. Currently, longan fruit has been exported to the United States and Australia for 6 years, and quarantine agencies in these countries have paid attention to longan fruit, testing and inspecting it more carefully.

Therefore, businesses are required to have GlobalGAP certification, instructing growing areas to eliminate prohibited substances used in the production of longan that meets GlobalGAP standards. This is a "matter of survival", a way for businesses to protect the market and protect the brand of longan fruit.

"When we have a market, a safety certificate, and a large market, the price of longan fruit will increase and the output will be stable," Mr. Tung affirmed.

Sharing more about the role of the "string" connecting farmers and growing areas, Vina T&T leaders said that the enterprise will provide technical support and GlobalGAP certification for cooperatives. When products meet GlobalGAP standards, farmers can sell to supermarkets and other markets if they cannot sell all of them to affiliated enterprises; meanwhile, enterprises can sell products to large, demanding markets.

Classification of longan fruit before sale.

Many supermarket chains in the European market require that longan must meet GlobalGAP standards. Therefore, according to experts, one of the standards to ensure the export of longan is that the growing area must follow good agricultural practices (VietGAP, GlobalGAP). Engineer Le Quang Hoa, Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Can Tho City, said that longan growing areas need to have a production manual following VietGAP; a cultivation diary; a sales diary; and storage of contract records and export authorizations to trace the origin.

In particular, gardeners must ensure the management of quarantine objects and food safety. Because when exporting longan to the US and Australian markets, quarantine agencies of each country will take at least 100 longan fruits from 5 containers to check for fruit fly larvae inside. If 1 fruit fly larvae is detected, the entire shipment will be discarded.

According to Mr. Hoa, in the past, the highest rate of detected violations in quarantine on longan fruit was still fruit fly larvae, accounting for 50% of the warnings. Next was the quarantine object of fruit stem borer, the rate of detection when exporting to the US market was also up to 40% of the warnings. With quarantine objects such as mealybugs, scale insects; spiders; snails, the detection rate was less than 10% of the warnings, however, if detected, the shipment was also rejected.

In addition, the European market also requires that the growing area must be free of fruit flies for 3 months before being allowed to export. Other markets also have requirements on phytosanitary risk management measures and treatment measures.

A representative of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Can Tho City said that the current measure to manage quarantined objects is to reduce the density of quarantined objects in the growing area. Specifically, gardeners are encouraged to apply IPM (integrated pest management), IPHM (integrated plant health management) to preserve natural enemies and limit the use of pesticides; prioritize balanced fertilization, and should use more organic fertilizers. At the same time, farmers need to clean their gardens regularly, collect and bury plant residues.

According to engineer Hoa, the most important thing is to collect longan fruits that are infested with flies and bury them at least 30cm deep to destroy them. Prune the branches to keep them clear to limit the shelter of quarantine pests and help the tree stay healthy. Only use pesticides when the pest density is high.

When the density of quarantined objects increases, the growing area can use pesticides but note that there must be a suitable warehouse for storing agricultural materials, not using banned or unlisted pesticides, complying with the pesticide quarantine period, and keeping a complete production log.

"Do not use drugs without Vietnamese labels because these are smuggled drugs, not on the list, or banned drugs. Agricultural products must have pesticide residue levels lower than the prescribed level to be exported," engineer Hoa noted.

For longan exports to be sustainable and reach far, linkage is always an important issue that experts emphasize to ensure output for farmers, cooperatives and ensure input, products, and raw materials for export enterprises. In addition, there needs to be support from the government to gather farmers; functional sectors and enterprises to train farmers in cultivation processes to ensure the requirements of importing countries.

According to baotintuc.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/lien-ket-xuat-khau-dua-trai-nhan-vuot-dai-duong-post402221.html