Vietnam eyes sustainable development for coconut industry

Vietnam has more than 188,000 hectares of coconut, accounting for 1.67% of that of the world, according to the Institute of Agricultural Planning and Economics.

Coconut trees are a source of income for about 389,530 farmer households and the export value of coconut and coconut products has reached over $900 million. Vietnam is in fourth place in the world in terms of coconut value.

Currently, there are about 854 enterprises that specialize in producing and processing coconut products, along with over 90 companies exporting coconut products. They create jobs for more than 15,000 employees.

Huynh Quang Duc, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ben Tre province, which has the largest coconut area in the country, said that coconut trees play an important role in the socio-economic life of the province. More than 70% of its population relies on coconut growing for their livelihood and the province has more than 163,000 households engaged in coconut farming.

The production value of coconut products accounts for 20.69% of the province’s total industrial production value; making up 42.51% of its total export turnover and creating jobs for tens of thousands of workers.

Ben Tre now has 78,000ha under coconut cultivation. Its coconut products have present in nearly 100 countries and territories and access choosy markets such as Europe, U.S. and the Middle East.

However, there remain shortcomings in the industry, according to Nguyen Quang Dung, Director of the Institute of Agricultural Planning and Projection (NIAPP). They include a loose linkage in the value chain and low processing capacity, he went on.