Bac Giang litchi season has ended. According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, local farmers collected 86,000 tons this year, lower than the 100,000 tons estimated before. This included 47,600 early harvested litchis, equal to 85.5 percent of the last year’s output, while the litchi output of the main crop was 38,100 tons, or 26.1 percent.

It was cold last winter, but cold spells came late, while the average temperature was higher by 1.5oC than usual. As for litchis, if the cold comes late, litchis will not have flowers and only have leaves.

In general, after every 3-4 years of a bountiful crop, the health of plants will get worse, thus leading to crop failure. As Bac Giang had a bumper crop in 2020-2023, the output decreased sharply this year.

Because of the poor crop, litchi prices were sky high even on peak harvesting days, retailing at VND55,000-110,000 per kilogram, or 3-4 times higher than last year.

It was estimated that 61,000 tons of litchis were consumed in the domestic market and 24,800 tons were exported.

China remained the biggest market for Vietnam’s litchis. The exports to the EU and Dubai increased sharply by 147 percent and 140 percent, respectively, compared with 2023.

Local authorities reported that revenue from litchis and subordinating services this year was just VND5.775 trillion, or 84 percent of that the last year. Of this, revenue from litchi sales reached VND4.814 trillion, up VND156 billion over 2023, the highest ever revenue in history.

In 2023, the total amount of litchis sold in Bac Giang reached 201,600 tons and the value from litchi sales and subordinate services was VND6.876 trillion.

Le Ba Thanh, deputy director of the Bac Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, reported that farmers sold litchis at record high prices this year. Early harvested litchis sold at VND60,000-110,000 per kilogram, while litchis of the main crop VND55,000-90,000 per kilogram. Litchis in the past could never go for such a good price.

Thanh said as the output was low this year, businesspeople had to visit orchards to collect litchis. Vietnam’s Bac Giang litchi metropolis witnessed crop failure, but Chinese litchi growing areas were also in the same situation. Chinese businesses were willing to pay high to collect litchis from growing areas in Vietnam and carry to China for sale. This was one of the reasons that helped Bac Giang farmers earn high profits.

Tam An