That was the warning given by Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu - Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) at the conference on implementing the Protocol on plant quarantine for exporting fresh coconuts to China, on the morning of September 6.

China is one of the world's largest coconut consuming markets. This market of one billion people needs about 4 billion fresh coconuts and processed coconuts each year. However, domestic products only meet about 10% of the demand, the rest depends entirely on imports.

In Vietnam, coconut is a strong point, ranking 4th in value in the world. The area of ​​coconut in our country is estimated at 195,000 hectares, with an estimated output of over 2 million tons per year. Fresh coconuts and coconut products are exported to 15 countries around the world, of which the US market accounts for 51% of the total export turnover of fresh coconuts.

The signing of the protocol on official export of fresh coconuts from Vietnam to China opens up great opportunities for this industry. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development calculates that if done well in the remaining months of this year, exporting fresh coconuts to China will earn about 300-400 million USD, contributing greatly to the export turnover of the Vietnamese fruit and vegetable industry.

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A coconut garden in Ben Tre.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu emphasized that all fresh coconut products exported to the Chinese market must have a growing area code and a packaging facility code approved by the country's customs. In addition, fresh coconuts must meet the standards and regulations according to the signed protocol.

In the protocol encouraging coconut growing areas to practice good agricultural practices (GAP), GAP certification is not yet mandatory. The issue of traceability is very important because it is related to product monitoring, quarantine and food safety.

“Unlike other agricultural products, fresh Vietnamese coconuts will be imported through all Chinese border gates,” said Mr. Hieu.

However, when the goods arrive at the border gate, Chinese customs will inspect 100% of the shipment, including checking documents or opening the container to check for pests. If there are too many violations, the rate of opening the container for inspection will increase and vice versa.

The protocol clearly stipulates pests and food safety standards. Therefore, if during the inspection process, harmful organisms, grass, leaves or soil are found on coconuts, the entire shipment will be rejected because it does not meet the conditions for export to China, Mr. Hieu noted.

Some violations will allow re-sterilization. Serious violations will result in refusal to import or destruction.

Therefore, people, packaging facilities, and businesses must do it properly. Because violations not only cause financial losses but also affect the reputation of businesses and Vietnamese goods. If there are many violations, the inspection level will increase, and even stop imports, Mr. Hieu warned.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Trung said that coconut is one of six crops in the key industrial crop project approved by the ministry. Coconut production is not only for export but also for domestic consumption.

“The export turnover of the coconut industry is very encouraging. In 2022, the export turnover of coconut and other coconut products reached 902 million USD, and in 2023 it was about 1 billion USD.” He emphasized that China is an important market, and doing well in exporting coconut will contribute several hundred million USD more to the agricultural sector’s turnover this year.

To achieve this goal, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung requested that localities must accurately grasp information and then convey it to growers and packaging facilities. In addition, review growing areas and packaging facilities to see if they meet the requirements of the protocol.

“This is an immediate requirement, we must do well so that our fresh coconuts can soon be exported to the Chinese market,” he said. With 24 growing area codes and 12 packaging facilities selected by Chinese customs for the first inspection, we are striving to have about 80% of the codes approved or more.

The Deputy Minister also suggested that the Plant Protection Department continue to work with Chinese customs to adjust the recommendations that localities have raised. For example, some provinces have growing area codes but do not have packaging facility codes.

In addition, export shipments must be strictly inspected and controlled at the border gate. When violations are detected, the shipment must be immediately suspended, the growing area code and the packaging facility must be suspended, and local authorities must be notified immediately.

He hopes that businesses will closely coordinate with growing areas, try to support and link with coconut growers to form a sustainable production chain.

“In the past 8 months, the export turnover of the agricultural sector reached 40.8 billion USD, with fruits and vegetables alone reaching nearly 5 billion USD. Now adding fresh coconuts, if done well, will contribute a large turnover, increasing income for coconut growers in our country,” the Deputy Minister has high expectations for the coconut industry when opening the Chinese market.

Frozen durian, fresh coconut and crocodile from Vietnam are officially allowed to be exported to China. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has just announced that frozen durian, fresh coconut and crocodile from Vietnam are officially allowed to be exported to China.