(BGO) - The export of fresh lychee this year is predicted to face difficulties, thus, many firms pay attention to investing in processing to diversify the products.
Expanding processing
As a company processing and exporting farm produce, Vifoco Import and Export Joint Stock Company (in Bac Giang city) used to consume fresh lychee before. Since 2016, the company has changed to intensive processing. In the very first year, the company purchased and processed 100 tonnes of canned lychee, 80 percent of which was exported and the other was sold in domestic market.
 |
Processing canned lychee at Vifoco Import and Export Joint Stock company. |
Facing complicated developments of Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, the company spent tens of billions VND to equip an automatic production chain with the steps of fruit running, peeling, removing seeds and packaging while building a frozen warehouse which can preserve about 800 tonnes of lychee at 18 below zero Celsius degree. Therefore, the processing capacity has been increased to more than 1,000 tonnes.
In order to meet the demand for lychee processing this year, the company has invested over 1.5 billion VND (64,460 USD) to build a 1,500- cubic metre frozen warehouse and announced to employ seasonal workers when lychee comes into harvest season.
Similarly, several enterprises have invested in machinery and facilities for processing. Toan Cau Food Import and Export Joint Stock Company in Phuong son commune, Luc Ngan district has cooperated with lychee production cooperatives in Tan Yen and Luc Ngan districts in processing at an expected output of about 3,000 tonnes.
Specially, in this lychee season the company will increase the frozen lychee output using Israeli technology to over 200 tonnes (5 times higher than 2021). With this technology, lychee fruit will be kept its original colour and sweetness during 2 years.
An Nhu Trade Investment and Import-Export Company Limited in Giap Son commune, Luc Ngan district hired 3 containers of a company in Lang Son province to dry lychee with electricity. Drying lychee with electricity helps to shorten processing time by a half and reduce two-thirds of labor force compared to the traditional drying method.
So as to open the pathway for exporting processed lychee, this year the company coopered to bring 300 tonnes of lychee to Indian market. If its processing technology is run smoothly with qualified products, the company will hire 7 more containers in this crop.
Support to bring new technologies into use
In fact, many localities encouraged and supported lychee growers to build drying furnaces in 2021 lychee season due to impact of Covid-19 pandemic. In Yen The district, the people’s committee supported with 1 million VND (43 USD) for each furnace at the capacity of below 2 tonnes of fresh lychee, 2 million VND (86 USD) for each furnace at the capacity of from 2 to 5 tonnes of fresh lychee and 4 million VND (172 USD) for a furnace at the capacity of over 5 tonnes of fresh lychee.
The people’s committee of Luc Ngan district also spent 2.4 billion VND (103,137 USD) to support the locals to build drying furnaces.
Accompanying lychee growers this year, the localities continue to encourage the locals to maintain drying lychee while inviting enterprises to apply high technologies into processing.
According to Le Tuan Anh, Head of Economics and Infrastructure Division of Luc Ngan district, in line with consumption of fresh lychee, this agency has prepared plans and solutions for at-site processing using drying, industrial processing and freezing methods to prolong the preservation time
In order to ease burden of consumption, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has collaborated with related units and localities to connect and invite enterprises to invest in processing technologies in the locality. To date, the Department has collaborated with Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper to connect and bring electrical drying technology into some firms in Luc Ngan district.
The Department of Science and Technology has cooperated with the General Department of Technology Application and Development to survey and research some new drying technologies and support enterprises to apply new technologies into processing and preservation.
“We are researching to pilot the lychee drying technology using heat-bearing steamer in this crop. This technology is easy to operate and remedy limitations in quality and levelness of the product”, said Trieu Ngoc Trung, Vice Director of the Department of Science and Technology.
