A lychee and longan production-marketing matching event was successfully held from April 27 to 28 in Maoming, Guangdong Province.
The event gathered agricultural authorities, industry experts, and enterprise representatives from Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Hainan to jointly promote the high-quality development of the lychee and longan industries.
Guangdong is the core production area for lychees and longans in China, with approximately 266,667 hectares of lychee plantations and an annual yield of more than 1.5 million tonnes, accounting for half of the national total. Maoming is the main production area in Guangdong. Its lychee and longan output accounts for about one-fourth of the national total.
Currently, Maoming's extra-early maturing lychee varieties have entered the harvest season. Market prices are strong, ranging from 30 to 34 yuan per kilogram, with overall fruit quality significantly better than in previous years.
The event featured an innovative "speed dating" matchmaking session, where purchasers and suppliers engaged in 10-minute, one-on-one speed-networking rounds. Within just two hours, the session generated over 80,000 tonnes of procurement intent.
"Our export orders are already 70% locked in," said Xu Zhuofeng, Marketing Director of Guangdong Zungly Agricultural Group. "With the largest planting area, the most varieties, and the richest flavor profiles, Guangdong allows us to source the world's finest lychees. We expect to export approximately 3,500 tonnes this year, primarily to North America, Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East."
Maoming has also launched a lychee carnival, featuring 18 special activities running from April to July to facilitate production-marketing matching.
The city has partnered with ride-hailing platform DiDi to create a lychee experience ambassador program. The initiative distributes "lychee surprises" to passengers during the May Day holiday and on weekends, with selected ambassadors receiving free trips to orchards, gourmet lychee meals, and themed hotel stays.
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
Photo | Feng Jieyun
