Five years ago, the coconut industry had no market ranking, but now it has risen to the top 4 in Asia in terms of exports with a variety of products made from fruit, leaves and stems.
The first time she visited Ben Tre, Ms. Thanh (Hanoi) was impressed with the coconut tree because it not only has sweet water and delicious jam but also creates a series of other commercial products. "I did not expect that the trunk, leaves, branches, bark, and coconut fiber could be fully utilized to produce so many unique gifts," she said.
She said that before she only enjoyed traditional coconut candy, now there are dozens of types of candy with different flavors made from coconut on the market. Coconut cakes, ice cream and jelly also have many changes in size and eye-catching designs.
Similarly, Ms. Hanh in District 5 also expressed interest in canned coconut water. "Previously, if I wanted to drink fresh coconut water, I had to buy each bunch and it could only be kept for a week. Now, with canned products, it is easy to store in large quantities," she said.
Diverse coconut products not only attract domestic customers but also increasingly demonstrate their superiority in the international market.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung - General Director of Vina T&T Import Export Company, said that he is promoting the export of fresh coconuts to the US, Australia, Korea, and Japan. In the first four months of the year, his company's export turnover increased by 20%. Particularly for fresh coconuts with the shell removed, each month this company exports about 15 containers to the above four markets.
"If the US considers exporting diamond-shaped coconuts in the second quarter, exports of this fruit will increase sharply this year," said Mr. Tung.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of GC Food Joint Stock Company - the owner of the largest coconut jelly processing factory in Vietnam - said that the company plans to bring coconut jelly and coconut products around the world.
In its product diversification strategy, his company will produce coconut jelly in various sizes to reach consumers in all channels from convenience stores, grocery stores to supermarkets. In addition, the company plans to develop fruit jelly product lines.
"In the near future, GC Food will expand its investment to increase the capacity of its coconut jelly factory to 20,000-30,000 tons per year. The product price will be suitable for all customers and exports to the Chinese market will be more competitive," said Mr. Thu.
Last year, the company's coconut jelly output reached over 6,500 tons, an increase of more than 40% compared to 2021. In the first 4 months of this year alone, output reached nearly 2,800 tons and an increase of more than 26% compared to the same period in 2022.
In addition to the two above enterprises, at Ben Tre Import Export Joint Stock Company (Betrimex), bottled coconut water is also popular in many countries around the world. The enterprise is mass producing coconut products such as dried coconut meat, oil, milk for export...
Workers at Vinacoco factory are checking coconut jelly products for export packaging. Photo: Linh Dan
According to the Coconut Association, Vietnam is the fourth largest coconut exporter in the Asia-Pacific region. Despite the impact of the Covid pandemic, last year, coconut and coconut product exports reached over 900 million USD. China is opening its market and increasing purchases of this product since the second quarter, so the association expects the coconut industry to reach the billion USD target this year.
Sharing with VnExpress, Mr. Cao Ba Dang Khoa, acting Secretary General of the Vietnam Coconut Association, said that the country has favorable conditions to develop this industry. China currently wants to connect and promote the import of Vietnamese coconuts through official channels. Most coconut products are favored by this country such as dried coconut, fiber, candy, fiber net, jelly, dried shredded rice, and coconut milk.
"In April, the Chinese Consulate General and the People's Committee of Ben Tre province held a trade connection meeting to facilitate the coconut industry in this province. China hopes that Vietnamese goods will meet their requirements so that they can soon be officially exported," said Mr. Khoa.
Recently, the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that US authorities have completed the pest risk assessment for fresh diamond-shaped coconuts (the type that still retains the outer spongy shell) exported from Vietnam to this country. The US is seeking comments on the draft pest risk assessment report. After completing the reports, this country will consider re-importing coconuts from Vietnam in the second half of the year.
In addition, according to Mr. Khoa, the Government is building a national brand identity for the coconut food industry; the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also included this tree in the Project on developing key industrial crops until 2030.
The Vietnam Coconut Association is also building a sustainable raw material area so that coconut farmers can enjoy high prices, while at the same time, creating competitiveness in the international arena. The Association will support the promotion of coconut product exports to China, and penetrate the Japanese and EU markets. With the goal of sustainable development, the coconut industry encourages businesses to participate in deep processing.
Workers are packing fresh peeled coconuts for export to the US. Photo: Linh Dan
According to statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country's coconut growing area is currently about 188,000 hectares, with an output of 1.9 million tons. However, the Vietnam Coconut Association believes that the above statistics are not really complete because the coconut industry's products are diverse. There are types of coconut materials that are rarely counted, such as coconut shell paintings (some works cost billions of VND) but are not published.
According to Mr. Khoa, this industry will have many breakthroughs when the export potential of foods made from coconut is large. In particular, the world is favoring cosmetics and beauty products made from coconut.
The World Coconut Association forecasts that the industry’s growth rate by 2025 could reach an average of 10% per year. Some products with high growth rates, such as coconut cream, water, oil and jelly, will increase by 15-36%. In particular, consumers are willing to pay for clean products of plant origin, even though they have to pay a high price.
Thi Ha
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