Vietnamese lychee prices surge and exports to China fell over 70%

In Bac Giang province, Vietnam’s primary lychee-producing region, the harvest season is approaching its end. Prices in Luc Ngan District have skyrocketed to five times those in 2023, yet demand remains robust. In Ho Chi Minh City, grade 1 lychees are fetching around 145,000 Vietnamese dong ($5.70) per kilogram, while retail prices have climbed as high as 210,000 dong ($8.26) per kilogram. Despite these steep prices, demand continues to outstrip supply. The lychee harvest across Hung Yen, Bac Giang and Hai Duong provinces in northern Vietnam is all but over. In Luc Ngan, one merchant noted dwindling supplies in Tan Son, with wholesale prices rising daily — from 110,000 dong ($4.33) per kilogram on June 24 to 140,000 dong ($5.51) per kilogram on June 27, a fivefold increase over last year. According to the Bac Giang Provincial Department of Industry and Trade, this year’s lychee production stands at 85,600 metric tons, which is less than half of that in previous years. Luc Ngan ...