Putting Hung Yen longan abroad

A home of longan

The city of Hung Yen has a 400 year history of growing longan. According to the Hung Yen City People’s Committee, longan is grown over 900ha, accounting for nearly 30 percent of local agricultural land and providing annual output of over 11,000 tonnes and value of VND250 billion, accounting for around 45 percent of the city’s agricultural production value.

“The city has about 60-70 small traders and the Hong Nam Longan Cooperative in addition to traders and businesses in other localities. During the harvest period, there are around 20 trucks carrying 50-70 tonnes of longan a day from Hung Yen Province’s Quang Chau Commune to sell in other localities,” Hung Yen Province People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Tuan Cuong said.

Hung Yen Province’s Khoai Chau District is located around 30km from Hanoi and is seen as a major longan producing area with up to 1,011ha to devote to the fruit. Khoai Chau District People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Son said that longan growing has brought an average VND250-300 million per ha a year, a five-fold improvement compared to rice cultivation. The district is expected to achieve output of 9,000 tonnes of longan in 2015 for total value of around VND190 billion.

According to the Hung Yen Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province has more than 3,000ha of longan mainly focusing on Khoai Chau, Tien Lu and Kim Dong districts and the city with an annual output of around 40,000 tonnes for total value of more than VND700 billion.

Entering large markets

In order to improve the quality of the longan, Hung Yen Province has deployed a project to conserve certain varieties and improve product quality through specialized cultivation areas during the 2012-2015 period. The province has also organized dozens of training courses to transfer advanced technology to farmers. In particular, the province has deployed 18 production models based on VietGAP standards since 2009 and witnessed the participation of more than 1,000 growers, contributing to increasing high-quality longan growing area.

The US Department of Agriculture has allowed Vietnamese longan imports since October 2014 and Hung Yen Province has adopted a plan to promote longan exports this year. The Plant Protection Department’s Post-Import Plant Quarantine Center I has cooperated with US experts to inspect and evaluate Hung Yen Province’s longan production areas in early March and officially granted two export codes for Hong Nam and Ham Tu communes.

According to the Hung Yen Department of Industry and Trade, longan production models based on VietGAP standards in Hong Nam and Ham Tu communes have achieved positive results. Total output for exports is expected to reach around 180-220 tonnes. “The new models have rapidly changed farmer awareness of safe production, contributing to meeting strict requirements in the US, the EU, the Republic of Korea and Australia,” Hung Yen Department of Industry and Trade Director Vu Duc Son said.

Quynh Nga & Lan Anh