Japanese experts to arrive in Vietnam to examine lychee exports

The ministry said under regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control, foreigners arriving in Vietnam must be kept in quarantine for 14 days. However, since the lychee harvest time lasts for only one month, in June, it proposed Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the national steering committee for anti-COVID-19, allow Japanese experts to be exempted from the mandatory quarantine so that the Vietnamese fruit can be exported in line with Japan’s requirements.

A farmer harvests lychees in Phuc Hoa commune of Tan Yen district, Bac Giang province. (Photo for illustration)

The MARD noted it will coordinate with authorities of Bac Giang and Hai Duong, two lychee farming hubs in Vietnam, to ensure preventive measures for the disease during the experts’ stay in the northern provinces.

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) requested that their experts must come to Vietnam to examine and supervise phytosanitary measures and treatment for each batch of lychees, and only those recognised to be eligible by them can be shipped to Japan.

This year will mark the first time fresh lychees of Vietnam enter the demanding market of Japan.

Over the last four years, the MARD has worked with the MAFF to conduct testing and negotiations to pave the way for the export.

Source: VNA