Agribank Tra Vinh Branch accompanies in developing wax coconut specialty

When mentioning Tra Vinh - Vinh Long, people immediately think of the famous specialty fruit throughout the country: wax coconut, also known as cream coconut, solid coconut. The economic value that wax coconut brings is superior to that of regular coconuts.

Starting a business from specialty wax coconut trees

In August 2012, the wax coconut variety was officially recognized as one of the 50 famous fruit specialties of Vietnam. On August 5, 2024, the Vietnam Coconut Association honored the wax coconut tree grown in Tra Vinh province (old) as "Vietnam Coconut Tree". At the same time, the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) issued a Certificate of registration of geographical indication "Tra Vinh wax coconut", opening up great opportunities to develop the brand and economic value of this specialty tree.

Currently, the whole Vinh Long province has nearly 1,300 hectares of wax coconut, concentrated in Cau Ke, Song Loc communes and neighboring areas. In order to help farmers have capital to invest in developing specialty crops, in recent times, Agribank has always been a reliable companion, implementing many preferential credit packages, technical support and connecting product consumption.

Agribank Tra Vinh Branch staff visited the wax coconut seedling nursery of Mr. Dang Minh Be's family (second from left).

Born in Cau Ke ( Vinh Long ) - "the land of wax coconut", Mr. Dang Minh Be soon cherished the dream of bringing this specialty tree to grow and expand in Song Loc, where he started his career. With the spirit of daring to think, daring to do, in 2018, he boldly invested 2 hectares of wax coconut embryos, equivalent to 400 trees, with the desire to create a high-quality wax coconut model.

"Wax coconut is very suitable for the soil of Tra Vinh - Vinh Long. After more than 3 years, the tree starts to bear fruit, the yield reaches 7-8 fruits/tree/month, the wax ratio is over 95%. With a selling price of 80,000-160,000 VND/fruit, the profit is 8-10 times higher than normal coconut", Mr. Be shared.

Seeing the obvious results, Mr. Be expanded the area to nearly 10 hectares, of which more than 600 trees have produced stable fruits. In addition to producing commercial wax coconuts, he also grows wax coconut seedlings, transfers techniques and consumes products for surrounding farmers. The closed planting - processing - consumption model helps create more jobs and increase income for many households in the area.

"We always accompany people from the time they order seedlings, provide technical support, and advise on output. If they encounter difficulties, they just need to contact us and a technician will come to the garden," said Mr. Be.

Not stopping at growing and selling fresh fruit, Mr. Be's family continues to research and process products from wax coconut such as: coconut jam, coconut candy, coconut ice cream, pearl wax coconut... to diversify products and increase the value of coconut.

In 2022, he established Phat Dang LLC, investing in an ice cream making system imported from Italy, freeze dryers, cold storage and a standard factory. With timely capital support from Agribank, he completed a closed processing line that meets food safety standards.

Currently, the company's three main products, including wax coconut, wax coconut cream and wax coconut jam, all meet the provincial 3-star OCOP standard and are distributed in many provinces and cities across the country through supermarket systems, stores and rest stops. Local authorities are proposing to upgrade the product to 4-star OCOP and build a separate geographical indication for Phat Dang's products.

Mr. Dang Minh Be (right cover) introduces products of Phat Dang LLC.

Agribank - a fulcrum for developing specialty agricultural products

Recalling his career journey, Mr. Be shared: "Agribank helped me a lot, from the early difficult days to when I expanded production. The bank created favorable conditions for loans, quick procedures, helping me have timely capital to invest in machinery and expand the model like today."

Mr. Le Van Son, Deputy Director of Agribank Tra Vinh Branch, said: “Agribank is always ready to accompany and support capital for farmers and businesses to invest in effective production. We identify agricultural and rural development as a key task, contributing to job creation, improving people's lives and developing the local economy."

Not stopping at the current success, Mr. Be is testing the fragrant wax coconut variety, also known as pineapple wax coconut, which has a characteristic aroma, more sticky coconut meat, and higher productivity than traditional wax coconut. "Fragrant wax coconut produces many fruits, superior quality, and is very sticky and fragrant when processed. In the future, I will expand this variety to serve people and increase the value of Vietnamese wax coconut products," Mr. Be shared his orientation.

Agribank Tra Vinh Branch staff visit coconut processing area.

Song Loc Commune, Vinh Long Province currently has more than 10,000 households with 1,500 hectares of coconut plantations, of which wax coconut is becoming the main crop helping many households become well-off. Mr. Ngo Hong Thanh, Chairman of Song Loc Commune People's Committee, commented: "In recent years, Agribank has played a very important role in improving people's economic life, contributing to the good implementation of social security policies and new rural construction. The locality hopes that Agribank will continue to accompany farmers and expand preferential credit for wax coconut plantations."

With the mission of accompanying "Tam Nong", Agribank Tra Vinh Branch continues to affirm its role as a key bank in providing preferential capital, promoting the development of local specialty agriculture. Not only a place to provide capital, Agribank Tra Vinh Branch is also a reliable companion of farmers, helping them feel secure in investing in production, expanding scale, building brands, contributing to promoting sustainable development of the rural economy.

Tại tỉnh Tại Vĩnh Long, Agribank hiện có 3 chi nhánh loại I (Agribank Chi nhánh Trà Vinh, Agribank Chi nhánh Bến Tre và Agribank Chi nhánh Vĩnh Long) với 29 chi nhánh loại II và 53 Phòng giao dịch trực thuộc luôn có nguồn vốn lớn để đầu tư cho lĩnh vực "Tam Nông".

MINH KHUONG

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/agribank-chi-nhanh-tra-vinh-dong-hanh-phat-trien-dac-san-dua-sap-a193483.html