Statistics from the General Department of Customs show that by the end of October this year, the export turnover of fruits and vegetables to the US market was estimated at nearly 287 million USD, a sharp increase of 35.3% over the same period last year. Among the top major fruit and vegetable export markets of Vietnam, the US ranked second, just after China.

Many Vietnamese fruit and vegetable products are increasingly popular in this market. Among them, fresh coconut, passion fruit, etc. continue to be strongly promoted in the US.

Currently, the US is the main consumer of coconut products. In particular, this market tends to increase demand for processed coconut products, such as: coconut water, coconut oil and coconut powder... Therefore, the US has to import a large amount of coconut each year to serve domestic consumption needs.

According to data from the International Trade Center (ITC), in the first eight months of 2024, the US spent $47.35 million to import about 44,910 tons of fresh coconuts, shelled or unshelled (excluding the inner shell). Compared to the same period last year, the volume of US coconut imports increased by 11.5% and the value increased by 18.8%.

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Vietnam's fresh coconut exports to the US have increased sharply. Photo: Fresh Coconut Farm

Accordingly, the US imports this item from 17 countries and territories around the world. The main sources of coconut supply come from Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam, Costa Rica...

Specifically, the US imported 10,970 thousand tons of coconuts from Thailand, worth 14.48 million USD, down 14.9% in volume and 12.6% in value compared to the same period last year. Thailand's share of total US coconut imports decreased from 32% in the first 8 months of 2023 to 24.4% in the same period of 2024.

In contrast, the US has sharply increased its coconut imports from Vietnam. In the first 8 months of 2024, this country spent 3.94 million USD to import 3,860 tons of coconuts from our country. Compared to the same period last year, the amount of Vietnamese cooling fruit imported by the US increased dramatically by 1,156%, with a value increase of 933.6%.

Thanks to that, Vietnam's coconut market share in total US imports increased from 0.76% in 8 months of 2023 to 8.59% in 8 months of 2024.

Earlier, in early August last year, fresh coconuts (with the entire green shell and at least 75% of the coconut fiber removed) from Vietnam were officially granted a “passport” to enter the US market. Meeting the strict requirements of this market has opened up prospects for the Vietnamese coconut industry.

Our country is currently among the top 10 coconut producing countries in the world, so the export potential of this product is still very large. Fresh coconuts from Vietnam have recently "opened" the Chinese market, and trucks carrying exported coconuts are lining up to this country of a billion people.

Businesses must transport a truckload of cash each time they buy coconuts. The Vietnam Coconut Association aims to coordinate with banks to open 10,000 accounts for coconut farmers in 12 provinces in the West by 2025, avoiding the situation where businesses have to transport a truckload of cash each time they pay for coconuts.