Chanthaburi organizes 2018 Lychee festival

CHANTHABURI, April 16 (TNA) - Chantaburi province is organizing organised an event to promote lychee in front of the Pong Nam Ron District Office. Lychee farmers were thus provided with a venue to display and sell their produce directly to tourists and consumers without interference from middlemen. The event also serves to promote Pong Nam Ron and Soi Dao districts' lychee on top of other more popular produce grown in Chantanburi province such as durian, longan and mangosteen. Furthermore, the event aims to provide local fruit farmers with a better bargaining position by allowing them to directly dictate market prices. Pong Nam Ron and Soi Dao districts have been growing lychee for more than 20 years on 1,541 rai (about 600 acres) allocated lands with annual outputs of around 1,082 tons. The amount of lychee exported is comparatively modest due to low yield, affected by fluctuating weather. However, farmer's adoption of better farming techniques through increased use of modern technology and innovations has resulted in a 3 year peak in production volumes. The fair will run up to April 25. (TNA)