Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong (R) inspects the litchi for export in Bac Giang Province on April 26
According to the local authorities' report, in 2020, Bac Giang has over 28,000 ha of litchi and the total estimated harvest is 160,000 tonnes, about 10,000 tonnes more than the previous year. 15,000 ha of which, or 110,000 tonnes of litchi, meet VietGAP standards. 80 ha of litchi area or 500 tonnes meet the GlobalGAP standards. A total 103 ha of litchi area in Hong Giang, Nam Duong, Tan Son, Quy Son, Giap Son, and Ho Dap communes were grown to be exported to Japan. The litchi will be harvested in May and June.
Duong Van Thai, chairman of Bac Giang Province People's Committee, said their plan was to continue to expand in traditional markets then create favourable conditions for firms and traders to buy Bac Giang litchi. The authorities have made plans for various scenarios and hope that they will get help from ministries in exporting.
"Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we'll give priority to the domestic market with a population of 96 million and be prepared for the worst so that the farmers will be less affected. If everything goes well with the domestic market, we'll have no worries," he said.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said the farmers this year may continue to face difficulties because of Covid-19 and bad weather. He expressed high regards for Bac Giang authorities' preparedness, saying that they needed to keep honing techniques and take care of the crops to ensure good harvests.
"The ministry has worked with cities and provinces authorities about litchi demand in the domestic market," he said. "Litchi from Bac Giang alone account for 50% of the country's output so we need measures and keep fighting for the future."
Regarding pig farms, Bac Giang has about 900,000 pigs or 81.5% of the total of pigs before the African Swine Fever outbreak. Local departments of agriculture and rural development have issued guidance on pig raising and safety measures. Credit institutions were asked to create favourable conditions for the farmers who were affected by the previous African Swine Fever with bank loans and interest rates.
Cuong said with good planning, Bac Giang’s pig numbers will reach the pre-outbreak numbers in the third quarter. However, while the situation seems good at big companies, small households are facing difficulties because of high breeding pig prices. Cuong urged Bac Giang authorities to find solutions for the problem.