Vietnamese seedless lychees now available in UK market

The first batch of Vietnamese seedless lychees arrived in the U.K. on Friday, becoming the fourth specialty fruit of Vietnam exported via the official channel to the demanding market this year.

The batch was imported by TT Meridian – a distributor of Vietnamese lychees and agricultural products in the U.K. The seedless lychees were grown in the north central province of Thanh Hoa’s Ngoc Lac District.

Thai Tran, managing director of the company, said the retail price of the seedless lychee ranges from 16-18 GBP per kg, 3-4 GBP higher than the normal one.

If its quality and price are welcomed by the U.K. market, the company will import about one tonne a week in June and July – the harvest season of lychees in Vietnam, he noted.

He said that the company's whole process from harvesting the fresh fruits at farms in Vietnam to selling them in the U.K. takes only 36 hours.

According to Thanh Hoa’s official portal, Ngoc Lac seedless lychees are produced following VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and organic standards qualified for export to Japan, Canada, and Europe.

The fruit when ripen has a bright red color, with its crispy pulp tasting slightly sweet.

This variety, imported from Japan, has been grown across about 30 ha in Ngoc Lac by Ho Guom - Song Am High Tech Agriculture Limited Liability Company since 2019.

This is its first year of harvest with an estimated output of over 20 tons.