In Hung Yen province, some farmers have successfully cultivated early-ripening longan varieties, allowing them to sell the fruit for $0.95 per kilogram, roughly double the price of main-season longan. These early harvests, which begin nearly a month before the typical season, are helping farmers gain a significant market advantage due to limited supply during this window, as reported and estimated by Nong Nghiep Moit Truong.
Falling longan prices in recent years drove the move to early-ripening varieties, making traditional farming less profitable. Farmers explored and grafted varieties known for ripening 25 to 35 days ahead of the usual season to overcome this. These efforts have resulted in improved income, with some orchards now able to stagger harvests over a longer period, reducing pressure during the peak season and ensuring steadier sales.
The early-ripening longans are known for their good quality, thick, fragrant, and sweet flesh, despite their earlier development. With Hung Yen's expanding tourism and urban projects, farmers are also seeing opportunities to cater to new consumer markets. Many plan to expand cultivation areas and adopt standards like VietGAP and GlobalGAP to increase both quality and export readiness.
Local agricultural authorities estimate that Hung Yen currently has around 5,500 hectares of longan for harvest, with a projected output of about 50,000 tons, an increase of 20-25% over last year.
Source: Nong nghiep moit truong
