"They have sweet and crispy litchi, and I like it very much," exclaimed Joyce Lee, Vice Chairman of China Singapore Chamber of Commerce Guangdong Branch, after tasting freshly-picked litchi in Guangzhou's Conghua District.
On June 25, Joyce Lee and Umberto Naddei, a Member of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, paid a visit to the Litchi Exposition Park and the Guangzhou Conghua Hualong Fruit and Vegetable Company, enjoying a variety of litchi and exploring opportunities to export Guangdong litchi to their countries.
Umberto Naddei marveled at the flavor of Guangdong litchi, "I think the taste of the litchi matches the Italian flavor because it is so sweet."
Modern technologies power litchi cultivation
Guangzhou Conghua Hualong Fruit and Vegetable Company is a leading agricultural enterprise in Guangdong Province. There are 116 litchi varieties in its litchi orchard, including Jinggang Hongnuo, Liuxi Hongli and Nuomici.
Joyce Lee and Umberto Naddei were impressed by the agricultural technologies applied in the litchi orchard, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), the Internet of Things and cloud computing. "We use UAVs to observe the whole growth process of litchi and monitor indicators such as temperature, humidity and soil moisture at different times. Based on the indicators, we can adjust cultivation plans such as fertilization and spraying to improve the yield of litchi," a technician introduced.
As for the preservation technology, the company is working with a research team from the South China Agricultural University to develop this technology. Those efforts allow litchi to keep fresh for a long time at a specific temperature, providing strong support for litchi to go further abroad.
"Guangdong litchi enjoys a promising market overseas"
According to Ouyang Jianzhong, President of Hualong Litchi Industrial Research Institute and Chairman of Guangzhou Conghua Hualong Fruit and Vegetable Company, the company plans to export about 2,500 tons of litchi in 2023, with Jinggang Hongnuo and Feizixiao as the main varieties because of their resistance to storage and transportation problems.
"Fresh litchi can now be sent to Singapore within a day and to Italy in three days from Guangdong," said Liu Ruibo, Deputy General Manager of Guangzhou Conghua Hualong Fruit and Vegetable Company.
"Feizixiao and Jingang Hongnuo are the two major litchi varieties for Singapore and Italian markets," Liu Ruibo furthered. "We export litchi to Canada, Dubai and European countries such as Netherlands, Spain and Italy by air and ship the fruit to Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand."
Speaking of how to extend the overseas markets of Guangdong litchi, Joyce Lee thought Guangdong litchi enjoyed a promising market. "Litchi can be made into a variety of products, such as dried litchi, litchi honey, litchi wine and litchi snacks. All of them can be exported to Singapore, in addition to fresh litchi," she said.
Umberto Naddei suggested that Guangdong litchi could participate in the food exhibitions in Italy to work with local professionals to promote Guangdong litchi, so that more Italians can enjoy the taste.
During litchi season, a Guangdong litchi-themed promotion event is about to kick off in Singapore. Representatives from agricultural product associations, chambers of commerce, supermarkets, catering companies and media outlets will be invited to taste fresh Guangdong litchi. If you are also interested in Guangdong litchi, stay tuned.
Reporter | Nancy Ye
Video | Alice, Eastbrook
Poster | Lu Lu
Editors | Olivia, Nan, Abby, James
