HANOI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- As of the end of June 2016, Vietnam has earned some 42 million U.S. dollars from exporting litchi to China, said a Vietnamese official on Monday.
There are about 170-200 trucks bringing litchi to China each day, said Nguyen Cong Truong, vice chairman of the people's committee of Vietnam's northern border province of Lang Son.
Litchi, famous for its succulent taste, is mainly produced in Vietnam's northern provinces of Bac Giang, Hai Duong and Hung Yen.
Statistics by Bac Giang's department of trade and industry showed that as of the end of June, Vietnam has exported over 62,863 tons of litchi to China via three border gates in northern Lang Son, Lao Cai and Ha Giang provinces.
In Luc Ngan district, the main bowl of litchi production in Bac Giang, there are over 250 Chinese traders working together with Vietnamese partners to buy litchi to sell to China.
This year, in Luc Ngan, the litchi output is estimated to hit 90,000 tons, some 15,000 tons higher than initial prediction, said the Bac Giang department of industry and trade on its website.
To date, Bac Giang has harvested nearly 80,000 tons of litchi and the crop is forecast to end by July 20.
According to Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), this year, China remained the largest consumer of Vietnamese litchi.
The ministry also forecast that in 2016, Vietnam's two main bowls of litchi including Bac Giang and Hai Duong provinces will produce some 130,000 tons and 50,000 tons, respectively.
In mid-June, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved the extension of opening hours of the customs clearance section in the country's northern border gate to boost litchi exports to China.
Meanwhile, the Plant Protection Department under Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development exempted phytosanitary fees for exported fresh litchi batches by air from June 23.
According to the vice chairman of Lang Son people's committee, in addition to litchi, each day, there are over 100 trucks of dragon fruit, watermelon, and banana from Vietnam's central provinces to be exported to China via the province's border gate.
