Export of Lychee from India

Marketing of Indian fresh Lychee of Bengal (Bumbai variety) and Bihar (Shahi variety) origins.

Normally, harvesting of Lychee starts from the 2nd week of May in case of Bumbai variety and subsequently, Shahi variety is available from 3rd week of May.

Following are the details of the fruit:

Fruit Weight: Ripe fruits average 21 grams to 25 grams in weight.

Fruit Color: Ripe fruits are red on both the outer and inner surface of the skin.

Time From Pollination: Normally 100 to 110 days elapse before maturity.

Sugar And Acid Contents: During ripening on the tree, the acid content of the aril decreases, and the sugar content increases: acid ranges from 5.5% to 0.5%, and sugar ranges from 10% to 17%, Fruits with an acid content of 0.9% taste sour, whereas those below 0.4% tend to be bland because of a sugar and acid imbalance.

Skin Texture: With some cultivars, maturation can be detected from the skin, which becomes smoother as the small protrusions become flatter.

Sulphur Treatment: The fruits are fumigated with Sulphur dioxide gas produced by burning Sulphur in powder form; the latter reacts with the Oxygen in the air to produce SO₂.

Coolinig And Storage: Normally our exporters are maintaining the cool chain and usually the average temperature for keeping the material at the cold storage to 2°C to 6° C and the relative humidity is 85% to 95%.