BẮC NINH — Lychee growers in northern Bắc Ninh Province are moving away from a focus on output volume and shifting toward quality and export standards as the 2026 season is challenged by adverse weather, local authorities and farmers said.

After a bumper harvest in 2025, lychee production this year has been affected by unfavourable climatic conditions during key flowering stages, including unseasonably high temperatures and short cold spells that triggered irregular flowering and reduced yields.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment said Bắc Ninh currently has 29,800ha under lychee cultivation, with output estimated at more than 95,000 tonnes, or about 59.5 per cent of the annual target. While production has fallen short of expectations, officials said fruit quality and compliance with export requirements have improved.

Authorities have expanded certified cultivation areas as part of the shift in strategy. VietGAP-compliant orchards now cover 17,500ha, or nearly 59 per cent of the total area, while GlobalGAP-certified production has been maintained and expanded to 255ha to serve higher-value export markets.

The province has also tightened oversight across the supply chain, including cultivation practices, pesticide use, harvesting, processing and packaging. Bắc Ninh currently manages 241 registered growing area codes and 42 export-compliant packaging facilities, which officials describe as essential for accessing international markets.

Farmers said production practices are increasingly aligned with food safety and export standards.

"My family and other households focus on caring for lychee trees not only to ensure appearance but also to maintain quality, food safety and clean production areas," Bùi Mạnh Thắng, a farmer in Lục Ngạn Commune said. 

Meanwhile, local authorities said they are reinforcing supervision of certified growing areas.

"We have strictly implemented the establishment and management of planting area codes,” said Phạm Văn Hân, chairman of Phúc Hòa Commune’s People’s Committee, adding that cooperatives are being guided to follow VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards. 

Cooperatives, which play a key role in large-scale production, said compliance with technical procedures is central to maintaining market access.

“We regularly supervise and direct production teams to follow VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, including record-keeping and proper cultivation procedures,” said Phan Văn Nết, director of Phì Điền Cooperative.

Expanding export markets and digital sales channels 

Alongside improving lychee quality, the province said it is also accelerating trade promotion activities and expand export markets. 

This year, its lychees had been granted planting area codes for exports to markets including China, the US, Japan, Australia and Thailand, with expected export volumes reaching hundreds of thousands of tonnes.

E-commerce is expected to play a larger role in sales this year, with platforms including TikTok Shop, Shopee and Sendo supporting both domestic distribution and access to overseas buyers through online sales campaigns and livestreaming from orchards.

Phạm Văn Thịnh, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said his locality will strongly utilise e-commerce platforms to improve the effectiveness of lychee sales in 2026. 

He said Viettel Post had been assigned to operate an agricultural products booth, while livestream sales from orchards would be promoted to attract consumers.

Thịnh added that authorities are also planning to introduce lychees on Chinese domestic e-commerce platforms alongside the development of agricultural tourism.

Provincial officials said the shift toward digital sales channels would help increase consumption and improve the brand value of Bắc Ninh lychees, particularly as products with traceability and certified quality gain easier access to international consumers.

As part of efforts to combine production with branding and tourism, Bắc Ninh has selected 117 beautiful lychee orchards, spanning more than 114ha and producing nearly 935 tonnes of fruit for export and tourism activities.

The orchards meet technical production standards and are intended to support agricultural tourism by allowing visitors to tour farms, experience harvesting activities and purchase fruit directly from growers.

The province is also supporting businesses and cooperatives in developing branding, packaging and post-harvest processing to increase added value and strengthen supply chains from production to consumption.

However, local authorities said the sector continues to face challenges including extreme heat, unseasonal rain that can cause fruit cracking, pest outbreaks and increasingly strict quarantine and food safety requirements in export markets.

The provinical Department of Agriculture and Environment said it would continue monitoring growing areas, providing technical guidance to farmers and tightening quality controls while working with relevant agencies to expand trade promotion and identify new markets. — VNS