Launching lychee season-driven services

These days, machinery at the Xuan Thinh ice facility in Thanh Ha Commune is running at full capacity. For many years, the facility has been a major and reliable supplier of ice for preserving fresh lychees. Anticipating a surge in demand during the harvest season, the facility carried out inspections and maintenance of all machinery and equipment in advance to ensure stable and continuous operation. Early preparation helps minimize technical issues and avoid supply disruptions during peak periods.

During this year’s lychee season, Xuan Thinh ice production facility is expected to supply around 1,000 ice blocks per day to the market, priced between VND 28,000 and 30,000 per block. This relatively stable price helps farmers and traders better manage preservation costs.

Mr. Ngo Xuan Thang, a representative of the facility, said: “Ice plays a crucial role in maintaining the freshness of lychees, especially for long-distance shipments. Each batch of ice takes about 20 hours to produce to ensure quality.”

Fresh fruits like lychees are highly perishable, particularly when harvested during hot weather, and therefore require proper temperature-controlled storage. Ice is thus an indispensable “assistant” from the pre-processing stage to transportation. Currently, Thanh Ha area has seven facilities producing and supplying ice to meet the demand for preserving fresh lychees.

In addition to ice, foam boxes used for packaging lychees are being prepared in sufficient quantities for this harvest season. This type of packaging is widely used thanks to its good insulation properties, helping protect the fruit during transportation.

According to the production plan, Phuc Cuong Foam One Member Co., Ltd. in Ha Dong Commune will supply around 20,000 foam boxes per day to meet packaging and preservation demand. Ms. Pham Thi Muoi, Director of the company, noted: “This year’s lychee output is lower than last year, but consumer preferences have shifted, with higher demand for smaller foam boxes, so production volume has not decreased. Prices are expected to rise by about 20% compared to last year due to increased input material costs. However, the company will balance supply to ensure stable production and avoid disruptions to the purchasing and distribution activities of farmers and traders.”

Alongside essential goods for processing, packaging, and preservation, various supporting services are also ramping up and becoming increasingly active. Many seasonal workers take advantage of this period to earn additional income.

Ms. Ngo Thi Huyen, a resident of Ha Bac Commune, has worked for many years at lychee purchasing points during the harvest season. Her main tasks include sorting, trimming stems, and packaging the fruit. For this work, she earns between VND 300,000 and 400,000 per day. According to Ms. Huyen, although the peak harvest period has not yet begun, many purchasing facilities have already contacted her for seasonal work. Like her, many others make use of their free time during the off-farming season to participate in harvesting, packaging, loading, and transporting lychees for distribution.

The lychee season is not only a “golden season” for growers but also an opportunity for various service sectors to thrive. Early preparation, improved service quality, and stable supply are key factors enabling businesses and facilities to capitalize on this opportunity and generate profits. At the same time, these supporting services help maintain the freshness and quality of lychees when they reach consumers, reinforcing the reputation of the city’s specialty agricultural products.

Nguyen Mo