The litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.), belonging to Sapindaceae and native to southern China, is now a commercially grown subtropical fruit crop worldwide. The production area of litchi is mainly located in southern and central of Taiwan. The planting area, yield and value for the litchi in Taiwan are 12,000 ha, 95,440 metric tons and US$97.3 million, respectively in 2009. The harvesting season begins from May to August, depending on geographic locations and cultivars. The litchi in Thailand can be divided into two types according to temperature requirements. Litchi production is located in the northern, central, southern and eastern parts of Thailand. The production area is 24,579 hectares with total production of 82,808 metric tons and valued at about US$24.3 in 2009. In Thailand, eighty percent of fresh fruit total production is marketed domestically while the remaining twenty percent is exported. Diversify cultivars and extend harvesting period with early and late varieties, establish reliable techniques to ensure stable production and set up sound handling, shipping and storage procedures to extend storage life of litchi fruits are the goals to improve the litchi industry for both Taiwan and Thailand.
