Ministry pledges to support virus-hit Bac Giang with lychee trading

ABO/NDO - The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has pledged to take measures to support Bac Giang, a large lychee growing region in northern Vietnam, to sell its fruit as the province is struggling with a major coronavirus outbreak.

MOIT officials assured provincial leaders during a virtual meeting on May 25 to discuss industrial production, the supply of goods and agricultural trade in the province.

According to Bac Giang Chairman Le Anh Duong, the province’s lychee output is expected to reach 180,000 tonnes this year, 45,000 tonnes of which have entered the harvest season, while the main harvest with an estimated 135,000 tonnes is scheduled to begin in early June.

However, the trading of the fruit is facing great difficulties in areas where social distancing measures are currently put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien speaking at the conference (Photo: MOIT).

Speaking at the meeting, MOIT leaders affirmed that they will step up measures to accompany and support Bac Giang as well as others hit by the coronavirus with marketing their agricultural produce.

Deputy Minister Do Thang Hai stated that the demand for Bac Giang lychees remains high, but difficulty partly lies at border gates and the MOIT is working with border localities to facilitate the transport of Bac Giang lychees.

He asked Bac Giang to strictly follow the guidelines on buying and selling agricultural products of coronavirus-affected areas to ensure the smooth flows of goods.

At the same time, Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Khanh asked Bac Giang to work with the Ministry of Health to secure health certificates for its products so as to guarantee traders who are unable to directly purchase Bac Giang’s products of their safety and quality.

Minister Nguyen Hong Dien underlined the three tasks that the MOIT needs to fulfil in helping Bac Giang overcome pandemic difficulties, namely promoting the trading of agricultural goods, especially lychees; ensuring the supply of essential goods for Bac Giang; and restoring manufacturing activity aligned with ensuring safety against Covid-19.

The MOIT and Bac Giang have agreed that the domestic market is the most important at the moment, whose share was only 50% in the past but now needs to be increased 1.5 times.

Minister Dien asked the units under the MOIT to collaborate with the province to promote its lychee brand, connect supply and demand, and capitalise on online platforms to take Bac Giang’s products to consumers both at home and abroad.

The MOIT will also work with the relevant ministries, agencies and border localities to ensure Bac Giang lychees can be cleared in a convenient way.

Regarding industrial production, Minister Dien asked Bac Giang to ensure safety before allowing factories to resume their operations.

Currently the MOIT has proposed that the government should prioritise giving vaccines to workers at industrial parks, especially those manufacturing goods for export, in order the maintain key markets.

(Source: NDO)