At 8 PM on August 25th, the People's Committee of Tra Vinh province inaugurated the Festival commemorating 100 years of Tra Vinh wax coconut – a renowned specialty fruit that has existed in the locality for a century. Alongside this event, the province also inaugurated the Vu Lan Festival Week in Cau Ke district in 2024.
The sand painting performance, which told the historical story of the wax coconut, was featured at the opening ceremony.
The heavy rain, which lasted from 7 PM until the opening ceremony, did not deter thousands of local people and those from neighboring provinces from attending. This was the first time Tra Vinh organized a festival specifically for the waxy coconut.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Le Van Han, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tra Vinh province, said that documents preserved by the province show that in 1924, Venerable Thach So brought coconut seedlings from abroad to plant in Cau Ke district.
The first place where this coconut variety was planted was Botumsakor Pagoda – which locals commonly call Cho Pagoda (Cau Ke town).
"Due to the suitable climate and soil conditions of the Cau Ke area, the coconut tree thrives and produces waxy coconuts. Through the process of conservation and promotion of its value, waxy coconut has become a specialty unique to Tra Vinh," Mr. Han said.
Mr. Le Van Han, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tra Vinh province, delivered the opening speech amidst heavy rain.
In appearance, waxy coconuts look similar to other regular coconuts. However, inside, the thick, soft, and chewy flesh of the waxy coconut occupies almost the entire fruit, along with a small amount of thick coconut water.
Waxy coconut is currently one of the high-value economic crops, occupying a large cultivated area in Cau Ke district.
In recent years, waxy coconut has become a crop that receives significant attention, with its acreage and production steadily increasing. Waxy coconuts are processed into various delicious and nutritious dishes with distinctive flavors.
In August 2012, Cau Ke wax coconut from Tra Vinh was officially included in the list of 50 famous fruit specialties of Vietnam (according to the Vietnam Book of Records Center).
Tra Vinh waxy coconut.
“The Intellectual Property Office has also granted a certificate of registration for the geographical indication of Tra Vinh waxy coconut; the certification mark for Tra Vinh waxy coconut for the waxy coconut variety and the geographical indication logo, aiming to establish intellectual property rights for the trademark. This is a condition for the future development of Tra Vinh waxy coconut,” the Chairman of the People's Committee of Tra Vinh province said enthusiastically.
For the past 100 years, the waxy coconut has been preserved and cultivated in Tra Vinh province, particularly in Cau Ke district, with the highest concentration in Hoa Tan, Phong Phu, and Phong Thanh communes.
People braved the rain to attend the opening ceremony.
Mr. Han stated that, as part of the strategy to upgrade the coconut value chain in the 2022-2025 period, the province will develop an additional 550 hectares of waxy coconuts.
In addition, the province has also set out directions for building the brand of Tra Vinh wax coconut with objectives such as: planning planting areas, expanding cultivation, and producing in an organic direction.
Developing cultivation areas and applying advanced breeding technologies, especially embryo-cultured and tissue-cultured coconut varieties with high wax content, aims to improve productivity and product quality...
The Tra Vinh Wax Coconut Festival, celebrating 100 years of wax coconuts, will take place over 7 days, from August 25th to 31st, and will include 12 main activities, such as: a seminar on wax coconut trees; an exhibition of delicious specialty fruit products; a competition to prepare 100 delicious dishes from wax coconuts…
On this occasion, the province will also introduce the Tra Vinh Wax Coconut Museum, established by Vicosap Company, which will be launched to serve visitors.
It is known that the flesh of the waxy coconut is often blended with sugar, milk, or added with durian or cocoa to be used as a smoothie, or the flesh can be eaten directly. In addition, some establishments in Tra Vinh are currently processing waxy coconut into waxy coconut candy, dried waxy coconut, shredded waxy coconut, nutritious cakes, etc.
Due to its rare characteristics, the market price of waxy coconuts currently ranges from 120,000 to 150,000 VND per fruit, 12-15 times higher than regular coconuts.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/tra-vinh-lan-dau-to-chuc-festival-dua-sap-192240825174524757.htm
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