Quality key for Vietnamese longan to Japanese market: expert

Vietnam should maintain high quality of its farm produce, especially longan, to clinch its position in the Japanese market, according to Vietnamese Trade Councillor in Japan Ta Duc Minh.

Last week, the first batch of fresh longan arrived in Japan, becoming the fourth kind of fruit to be sold in the choosy Japanese market after dragon fruit, mango and litchi.

According to Minh, Vietnam and Japan started negotiations on Japan’s opening of market for Vietnamese fresh longan six years ago and reached an agreement on November 23, 2022.

On January 3, Hoang Phat Co., Ltd. shipped 10 tonnes of fresh longan to Japan. After that, each month, the firm will export about 70-100 tonnes of the product to the market.

Minh said that the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan will coordinate with exporters and Vietnamese authorities to organise promotion programmes to popularise this specialty fruit to Japanese consumers as well as the Vietnamese community in Japan.

He expressed his hope that Vietnamese fresh longan will also affirm its position in Japan like fresh litchi.

The official noted that currently, Vietnamese dragon fruits are holding 80% of the market share in Japan, while that of mango is 6.6% and fresh banana 0.8%. Meanwhile, some kinds of fruit that have just been sold in Japan for 2-3 years like durian, litchi and frozen longan, have also seen good sales.

Longan is cultivated in some southern localities of Japan, but the production is modest, he noted, stressing that the opening of markets for Vietnamese fresh longan is a great chance for Vietnamese farmers, and at the same time manifests the high quality of the products, enabling it to enter other markets in the world.

However, Minh warned exporters to ensure high and stable quality of longan exported to the Japanese market to win strong confidence of local consumers.

He highlighted the strict technical standards and plant quarantine process for Vietnamese fresh longan in Japan, advising local farmers to follow the quality management procedures in all production stages to ensure highest quality of their products.

He also recommended that exporters upgrade their preservation equipment and technology to make sure that longan is kept fresh with preserved taste for a longer time./.