Longan production in Asia - United Nations in Indonesia

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Table 19. Planted area and production of longan in Vietnam Year Region Mekong delta Northern region Southeast region Area Production Area Production Area Production (ha) (metric (ha) (metric (ha) (metric ton) ton) ton) 1998 28,600 270,000 4,000 40,000 1,314 10,000 1999 30,030 280,000 5,000 50,000 6,570 35,000 Source: Nguyen (2000). 16. PROBLEMS FACED BY LONGAN PRODUCTION Countries producing longan, including China, Thailand and Taiwan Province of China, have reported almost common problems in longan production. These common problems include: a) Biennial bearing: The main problem faced by commercial orchards is irregular flowering and biennial bearing. Trees tend to overcrop some years and this is followed by a light crop the next year. In Thailand, the production figures for 1990-1994 (Table 16) reveal a very clear pattern of biennial bearing. A similar pattern of biennial bearing is exhibited by the production figures for Taiwan Province of China during 1995- 1998 (Table 18). Prices obtained by the longan growers have been dictated by the quantum of production. When there is a good harvest the price of longan drops to a low level and vice versa. b) Small fruit size: This problem is particularly acute in Taiwan Province of China where there is a need to have cultivars producing large fruits (Yen and Chang, 1991). In Florida, the demand for large fruit is most critical. So far, the cultivar ‘Kohala’ has been able to produce the desired fruit size through pruning of flower panicles (Campbell, 2000). In Thailand, ‘Biew Khiew’ produces large fruit size but is limited by its biennial bearing habit. c) Witches’ broom disease: This disease is prevalent in producing countries in Asia. Though there are resistant longan cultivars, the lost of production through infection by this disease can be quite substantial as revealed by the figures from China. d) Fruit bats: This pest has been reported to cause serious problems during fruiting seasons of longan in Thailand and Australia. A high cost has been incurred to put up protective netting around the perimeter of the orchard or over each tree. e) Large unmanageable tree-size: Under the conventional planting system the trees tend to grow very tall and management and harvesting of such trees can be difficult. Thus a way has to be developed to prune the trees to a manageable height. Also high density planting together with pruning or root restriction can be practiced to reduce the tree height. 35
f) Limited market: The demand for longan comes mainly from an ethnic community, Asians in general and Chinese in particular. Sales of longan outside this ethnic market are limited. 17. PROSPECTS Longan is one of the top export earners for Thailand with an export value of US$ 201 million in 1997. This compared favourably to the export of lychee in the same year. The longan is gaining acceptance, sometimes in preference to lychee. There are, however, a number of limitations which need to be taken into consideration. At present longan is mainly targeted for ethnic markets especially those of Asian communities. In Australia and Florida, the demand from ethnic Asians far exceeds the supply. Other communities have yet to develop an acquired taste for longan. Once more people have acquired the taste of longan, there is certainly an increase in its demand. There is, therefore, a need for more promotion of the longan among other communities. Highly perishable longan fruits have limited distant markets. To extend the use of longan, the fruits can be processed into various products such as canned and dried longan. Dried longan is popular among Asians, particularly the Chinese, who make a refreshing longan drink out of it. Again there needs to be aggressive promotion of the longan drink to other communities in foreign markets. Biennial bearing is a major constraint for expansion of the longan crop. However, it is probably easier to attain good and stable yields of longan than of lychee. Since these fruits substitute for one another this considerably enhances the prospect of longan. If trees bore regularly, growth would be moderated and it would be easier to prune to keep trees to a manageable size. Small trees, coupled with closer spacing and regular yields would allow production to be intensified. This work has already been practiced in Guangdong Province in China. Small fruit size may be a constraint for some longan cultivars. However, through planting the right cultivars coupled with proper pruning technique of the flower panicle, large fruit size can be achieved. Expansion of longan cultivation to tropical regions can be achieved with the existence of superior races of subspecies malesianus, in particular the variety malesianus in Sarawak and other parts of Borneo. This may offer an attractive alternative to the commercial longan for the humid tropical lowlands. In addition there are in existence commercial longan cultivars which are adapted to the constantly high temperature of humid tropical conditions as in the case of the cultivar ‘Phetsakon’ in Thailand. This cultivar is now planted in non-traditional regions of Thailand. The use of potassium chlorate to produce off-season longan adds to the future prospects of the crop and needs to be encouraged. With off-season production, prices obtained by longan growers will be higher. In view of the above, there is a bright future for the longan. 36
Page 2 and 3: RAP PUBLICATION: 2000/20 LONGAN PRO
Page 4 and 5: The designations employed and the p
Page 6 and 7: FOREWORD The commercial longan (Dim
Page 8 and 9: LONGAN PRODUCTION IN ASIA 1. INTROD
Page 10 and 11: Sarawak, while the ‘isau’ and
Page 12 and 13: 5. PROPERTIES The edible portion of
Page 14 and 15: Figure 3. Longan tree with terminal
Page 16 and 17: ag for 2-4 weeks before planting ou
Page 18 and 19: Figure 6. High density planting of
Page 20 and 21: Fruits are thinned about four to si
Page 22 and 23: Figure 7. Knife used for cincturing
Page 24 and 25: infected branches become compact cl
Page 26 and 27: Figure 10. Witches’ broom disease
Page 28 and 29: Table 4. Productivity of longan as
Page 30 and 31: 11.3 Grading The Thai farmers have
Page 32 and 33: Table 8. Production and Average far
Page 34 and 35: 14. CURRENT WORLD STATUS, DISTRIBUT
Page 36 and 37: Beside fresh longan, Thailand is al
Page 38 and 39: Others Elsewhere longan is grown on
Page 40 and 41: Table 16. Planted area and producti
Page 44 and 45: REFERENCES Anon. 1986. Dimocarpus l
Page 46 and 47: Tongdee, S. C. 1992. Postharvest ha
Page 48 and 49: ‘Shixia’ ‘Shixia’ is anothe
Page 50 and 51: ‘Baidum’ This is a mid-maturing

Longan production in Asia - United Nations in Indonesia

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