According to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), Vietnam has become the second largest exporter of lychees in the world. Growers of the southeast Asian nation are now accounting for 19% of the global market share.

The world`s largest exporter was Madagascar, accounting for 35% of the global exports despite a relatively small plantation acreage, said Sisir Kumar Mitra, an ISHS representative at the sixth international conference on longan and lychee in Ha Noi late last week.  Following Vietnam is China with 18%, Thailand with 10% and South Africa with 9%.

According to consumers and companies on the global market, the quality of Vietnam`s lychees was much better than similar products from India and China. The ISHS representative said in terms of output, China ranked first with 2 million tonnes per year, followed by India with 677,000 tonnes and Vietnam with 380,000 tonnes.

Despite having the second largest area of lychee plantations in the world after China, over 99% of India`s lychees are consumed domestically.

Nguyen Quoc Hung, head of the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, said Vietnam had a smaller output of lychees against China and India but because of the harvest season and difference in seed quality, Vietnam had seen strong growth in lychee exports.