Hung Yen (VNA) – The northern province of Hung Yen, renowned for its fragrant and sweet longan, has worked to promote the export of the staple to Japan where stringent requirements on food safety and hygiene are in place.

Hung Yen is home to more than 4,600 hectares of longan, over 30% of which have been cultivated under VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards that yield more than 46,000 tonnes of fruit a year.

Quang Chau longan cooperative in Hung Yen city, whose 27.2 hectares of orchards were codes for export to Japan, has studied and applied advanced technologies into farming while registering for planting area codes, expecting an output of about 350 tonnes per year

According to deputy director of the cooperative Nguyen Van Biet, farmers have been required to strictly follow the cooperative’s cultivation process, prioritise organic fertilisers, and meet quarantine requirements before harvest to ensure food safety and hygiene.

Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade Vu Quang Thang said that if local longan, now available in such important markets as the US and Australia, is able to win a foothold in the fastidious Japanese market, it will be able to reach out to other international ones.

Thang added that the province has stepped up efforts to review, evaluate, and restructure planting areas and enhance the application of science, technology and advanced faming process to improve the quality of the local staple. Besides, the provincial People’s Committee has approved a project to bolster the trade promotion for its longan and related products in Japan for the 2021-2025 period, while identifying key measures to ensure the quality of the local fruit meets Japan’s requirements.

Furthermore, the department will pay attention to popularising the fruit as well as many oꩲther farm produces on social platforms, boost e-commerce sales of the product, and maintain its brick-and-mortar d꧃istribution channels through stores and supermarkets, he stressed, saying it will continue joining hands with competent sectors and localities to introduce good agricultural practices as well as harvesting and packaging techniques to farmers./.