HANOI: Coconut has been recognised as one of Vietnam’s six key industrial crops (alongside coffee, rubber, tea, cashews, and pepper) under the Master Plan for Developing Key Industrial Crops by 2030.
The coconut industry has seen remarkable growth, with export turnover increasing from US$180mil in 2010 to over US$900mil in 2023, and it is projected to surpass the US$1bil mark this year.
By 2030, the nationwide coconut cultivation area is expected to stabilise between 195,000ha and 210,000ha, primarily concentrated in the Mekong Delta with170,000ha to 175,000ha, and the remainder distributed across the south-central coast, north-central coast and south-east regions.
Speaking at the “Connecting Production and Consumption for Coconut Products” forum on Dec 13, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, director of the Science, Technology and Environment Department under the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry (MARD), said that the target for 2030 will be to maintain the coconut cultivation area at 200,000ha.
Since this target had already been met, future development efforts should focus on improving product quality and leveraging coconut by-products to create a variety of high-value-added goods.
The acceptance of Vietnamese coconuts in the United States and European markets, along with ongoing negotiations for official export channels to China, present significant growth opportunities for the sector.
Thuy highlighted that 30% of the current coconut cultivation area met VietGAP standards, with 30% of growing areas granted traceability codes.
These advancements had increased product value and farmers’ incomes, while processed coconut products held significant potential as high-value exports.
China, with an annual demand of approximately four billion coconuts – 2.6 billion of which are fresh coconuts – is emerging as a crucial market, according to MARD.
A recently signed protocol between MARD and China’s General Administration of Customs allows the official export of fresh Vietnamese coconuts to China. Strict compliance with phytosanitary standards, food safety, and registration of cultivation and packaging facilities are key to sustaining a stable supply to the market.
Ngo Xuan Nam, deputy director of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Vietnam Office, estimated that fresh coconut exports to China could generate US$250mil in 2024, accounting for 25% of the sector’s total export value.
However, he cautioned that enterprises must address increasingly stringent maximum residue limits for pesticides not only in China but also in the European Union.
According to Huynh Quang Duc, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Ben Tre, the province accounts for over 88% of the Mekong Delta’s coconut cultivation area and nearly 42% of the nation’s total, contributing more than US$350mil annually in export value. — Viet Nam News/ANN
