Summary for exporting Australian lychee

Exports are the lychee industry’s biggest opportunity for growth, profitability and sustainability. Export market diversification is a desired outcome to ensure price and demand stability for growers. All Australian exported lychees are marketed as fresh fruit as shipments are sent by air freight with the cool chain integrity maintained from orchard to consumer.

The lychee industry in Australia continues to expand as new varieties introduced in the mid 2000’s are planted & harvested. The industry is predicting an increase to the annual tonnage by 2028 once these new plantings reach maturity. The domestic market is strengthening as lychees become a summer favourite fruit, however, a prosperous future for the Australian lychee industry is linked to the industry’s ability to export a substantial proportion of annual production.

Due to the different climatic conditions of production areas, the industry has a significant advantage over other suppliers on world markets, as no other country can offer such a long line of supply of quality controlled fresh lychee product. The Australian Lychee season is also counter seasonal to any Northern Hemisphere lychee growing regions which is also another definite advantage.

The Australian lychee industry has been exporting to overseas destinations for more than 30 years, with approx. 20% of the annual Australian lychee production exported to international non-protocol & protocol destinations.

Non-protocol countries enables all growers with good pre and post-harvest quality control and industry standard grading requirements to export their produce. Non-quarantine countries where Australian lychees are exported to are Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, UK, Europe and UAE. Quarantine countries requiring low-dose irradiation protocol which Australian lychee have gained market access into include New Zealand, United States of America (excluding the State of Florida) and Indonesia.

In 2020 the Australian Lychee Growers Association (ALGA) submitted applications for Market Access to export Australian lychees into China, Thailand, Vietnam & Taiwan. Following on from these applications, in 2025 DAFF presented a Technical Market Access Submission (TMAS) to the Plant Production Department (PPPD), Ministry of Agriculture & Environment Vietnam in support of market access for fresh lychees from Australia to Vietnam. ALGA is confident that market access for Australian lychee into Vietnam will be granted in the foreseeable future.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF-Biosecurity, trade & export) controls exports of agricultural products, this assures trading partners that Australian agricultural products meet import requirements. Efficient regulation of exports is the cornerstone of Australia’s reputation as an excellent source of reliable agricultural exports.

Download this page as a PDF: Resources_ALGA_Export_Summary-2026.pdf

Download the Export Resources list of Exporters, Freight Forwarders and Irradiation facilities: Resources_ALGA_Export.pdf

ALGA received grant funding from the Australian Government through Austrade’s Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) program. This export marketing/training activity was supported by grant funding from the Australian Government through Austrade’s Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) program.