Bringing agricultural products from Ben Tre province to a wider market.

The year 2024 concluded with many important milestones in Ben Tre's agricultural sector. Most impressively, many specialty agricultural products were exported to the US, Canada, and China. This opens up many prospects for agricultural products to continue expanding their reach in the global market.

Báo Bến Tre•31/01/2025

A truck carrying fresh coconuts from Ben Tre to the Chinese market. Photo: Cam Truc

From 5-star OCOP products

The "One Commune, One Product" (OCOP) program plays a crucial role in rural economic development, particularly for local specialties, products from traditional crafts, and community-based tourism services. As the first province in the Mekong Delta to launch the OCOP program, Ben Tre currently has 316 OCOP products rated 3 stars or higher. Of these, 5 are 5-star OCOP products and 59 are 4-star products.

The 5-star OCOP products include: cocoa coconut candy, durian and pandan leaf coconut candy, ginger coconut candy, durian coconut candy (from Dong A General Trading and Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) and frozen durian fruit (from Chanh Thu Fruit Import-Export Co., Ltd.).

5-star OCOP products are certified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as national OCOP products. They are permitted to use the national OCOP logo and stamp on packaging, labels, and promotional materials as regulated, and this certification is valid for 36 months from the date of recognition. Furthermore, they receive support to further improve the product and promote it in domestic and international markets.

According to Vo Tien Si, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department has recently coordinated with localities to review and develop many plans to support the development of planting area codes and geographical indications to ensure traceability and food safety. This serves as a basis for providing local raw materials for OCOP products such as coconuts, pomelos, rice, seedlings and ornamental plants, specialty fruit trees, cattle, shrimp, etc., meeting export standards to markets such as the United States, New Zealand, Europe, China, and Thailand.

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OCOP products on the verge of shifting to a market-oriented mindset.After nearly a decade of implementation, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program has awakened local potential, unleashed rural strengths, and helped many traditional products break free from the self-sufficiency cycle.

The entire province now has 64 more products that have achieved OCOP 3-star or higher certification.According to the consolidated results of the Provincial Council for evaluating and classifying products under the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) program, in the first phase of 2025, the province had an additional 64 products recognized as meeting OCOP standards of 3 stars or higher. Of these, 10 products achieved 4-star status and 54 products achieved 3-star status.

Dong Thap: Aims to have 1,352 OCOP products by 2030By 2030, Dong Thap aims to develop at least 463 more OCOP products, bringing the total number to 1,352 products throughout the province.

In August 2024, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the General Administration of Customs of China signed a Protocol on plant quarantine and food safety inspection for frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China; and a Protocol on plant quarantine requirements for fresh coconuts exported from Vietnam to China.

The official opening of the Chinese market to frozen durian and fresh coconut products helps to reduce pressure on the harvesting season and creates greater added value for agricultural products of the province in particular and Vietnam in general.

Following this good news, on September 23, 2024, two products from the province, the green-skinned pomelo and the green Siamese coconut, were officially granted protection by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office in the form of certification marks. These are “Ben Tre Pomelo & Device” for the green-skinned pomelo and “Ben Tre Coconut & Device” for the green Siamese coconut. This is an important step in enhancing the brand value of agricultural products from the province in particular and Vietnam in general on the international stage.

Visit the "billion-dollar coconut tree"

2024 could be considered the year of the coconut tree. Prior to that, in 2023, fresh coconuts from Ben Tre were officially exported to the US market. More recently, the coconut tree has been recognized for its significant contribution to climate change mitigation, with one hectare of coconut trees capable of absorbing approximately 75 tons of CO2 annually.

According to the Vietnam Coconut Association, the Vietnamese coconut industry is entering a period of remarkable growth. From an export value of US$280 million in 2010, the industry reached US$1.64 billion in 2023. Vietnam is currently the 4th largest exporter of coconut products in the Asia-Pacific region and ranks 4th in terms of total value in the international market.

Of that total, Ben Tre province accounts for over 40% of the country's coconut growing area. The province's coconut processing industry consumes approximately 85.7% of the total coconut harvest. Coconut products from the province are now available in the markets of more than 90 countries and territories. The value of coconut processing production in 2023 reached VND 3,750 billion. Coconut export revenue reached nearly half a billion USD.

United States - Vietnam: Don't miss

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a copy of the Letter of Credence for the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam.On the afternoon of July 2nd, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, Mr. Le Cong Dung, Director of the State Protocol and Foreign Interpretation Department, received a copy of the Letter of Credence from Ms. Jennifer Wicks, Ambassador of the United States of America to Vietnam.

Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung visits and works in Minnesota, USA.From June 28-30, the Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States, Nguyen Quoc Dung, paid a visit and worked in Minnesota.

Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment in high technology.On the morning of June 26th, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung received Mr. Jeff Place, Supply Chain Director of Coherent Group (USA). During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment, especially in high-tech, innovation, and semiconductor industries.

Ben Tre Import-Export Joint Stock Company (Betrimex) is the province's leading coconut enterprise, ranking among the top 6 largest coconut producers in the world. Ms. Dang Huynh Uc My, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Betrimex, stated: “Betrimex is committed to pioneering expanded cooperation and working alongside stakeholders to deeply exploit the coconut value chain, making coconut products an Asian symbol and a leading industry of the century.”

The export value of the coconut industry is increasing rapidly due to the rising global demand for coconut products. However, compared to some countries in the region, Vietnam's coconut industry is relatively young, so there is still much room for development. “Vietnam in general, and Ben Tre in particular, needs to develop drought-resistant coconut varieties and apply sustainable harvesting techniques to cope with climate change. Developing farm tours and workshops on crafting coconut products will also help promote rural tourism and increase economic value. In particular, we need to emphasize the importance of utilizing by-products from coconut trees,” suggested Nuwan Chinthaka, Vice President of the International Coconut Community, offering solutions for the development of the coconut industry (at a forum on the coconut industry held in the province in December 2024).

“Geographical indication and certification mark certificates for agricultural products in Ben Tre province are intellectual property assets and effective legal tools to not only prevent infringement but also create a foundation for the province's agricultural products to bear the name "BEN TRE" when reaching the global market.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lam Van Tan - Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Ben Tre province.