Science and technology reshape the coconut industry

The application of science and technology in breeding, cultivation and processing is opening up new directions, helping the Vietnamese coconut industry increase value and integrate deeply.

Coconut industry is still weak in deep processing.

On November 6, the Agriculture and Environment Newspaper in collaboration with the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, Tra Vinh University, the Vietnam Coconut Association and the Department of Agriculture and Environment of the Mekong Delta provinces organized the Forum "Communication on health management of Vietnamese coconut trees to meet production requirements associated with consumers".

Mr. Tran Van Cao (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Agriculture and Environment Newspaper), Mr. Nguyen Quy Duong (Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection) and Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa, Rector of Tra Vinh University chaired the discussion session. Photo: Le Hoang Vu.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa, Rector of Tra Vinh University, said that Vietnam is currently among the top 10 countries with the largest coconut area and output in the world, of which the Mekong Delta region alone accounts for about 80%. However, the coconut industry is facing many challenges such as climate change, pests and increasingly strict international standards. Therefore, the Forum was organized to bring together scientists , managers, businesses and farmers to seek solutions for sustainable development, aiming at export.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, President of the Vietnam Coconut Association, coconut is the fourth largest perennial industrial crop in our country with more than 200,000 hectares. Ten years ago, coconut trees had almost no position on the export map, but thanks to the efforts of growers and businesses, the coconut industry has developed strongly. By 2024, the export turnover of coconut products had approached the 1 billion USD mark. Also in this year, coconut trees were included in the National Key Industrial Crop Development Project by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment).

Delegates visit booths at the Forum. Photo: Le Hoang Vu.

Mr. Van Huu Hue, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Vinh Long, said that the province currently has nearly 120,000 hectares of coconut with about 22 million trees, accounting for more than 50% of the country's coconut area, bringing stable income to about 270,000 households. Vinh Long is focusing on building a coconut value chain through technology transfer, renovating inefficient gardens, developing intercropping models, processing and consuming products in an organic direction, and granting growing area codes for export. However, the province's coconut production is still fragmented, with each household having an average of only 0.3 - 0.4 hectares, of which only about 30% of the area is linked to production. The impact of drought, flooding, high tides and saltwater intrusion has also caused a significant decrease in coconut productivity and quality.

“The coconut industry is currently weak in deep processing, with outdated preservation technology and strong fluctuations in raw material prices, making it easy for businesses to suffer losses. Major export markets such as the US, EU, and China are constantly raising technical standards, requiring stronger innovation to adapt and develop sustainably,” Mr. Hue emphasized.

Sharing the same view, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute of Agricultural Electromechanics and Post-harvest Technology, informed that currently only about 30% of coconut products are deeply processed along the value chain. Main products include coconut water, coconut milk, coconut oil, desiccated coconut, coconut candy, coconut cake, activated carbon from coconut shells, and handicraft products and materials from coconut fiber. Some advanced technologies such as UHT sterilization, aseptic packaging or extraction of pure oil by cold centrifugation technology have been applied, but most of the equipment still has to be imported.

Coconut production is shifting strongly towards organic production, increasing added value. Photo: Minh Dam.

To increase added value and competitiveness, Mr. Tuan said that it is necessary to clearly identify key products, scale and development orientation suitable for each ecological region, and at the same time carefully evaluate raw material sources, investment capacity and consumption markets. In addition, businesses need to be consulted and supported in choosing technology, equipment and building international standard processing plants to meet the increasingly strict requirements of large markets such as the US, EU and Japan.

At the Forum, many units signed a memorandum of understanding to promote the sustainable development of the Vietnamese coconut industry. Accordingly, the Agriculture and Environment Newspaper signed a memorandum of understanding with Tra Vinh University. Tra Vinh University also signed a cooperation agreement with the Vietnam Coconut Association, the Ben Tre Coconut Association and the Ben Tre Import-Export Joint Stock Company (Betrimex).

Applying technology to enhance the value of coconut trees

According to Ms. Huynh Thi Ngoc Diem, Deputy Director of the Southern Center for Cultivation and Plant Protection (Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection), to improve the quality of coconut material areas, it is necessary to synchronously deploy solutions from techniques to production organization. The first focus is on applying advanced technology such as drip irrigation, humidity sensors, automatic irrigation and developing high-yielding, disease-resistant coconut varieties.

At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen training and coaching for farmers on effective farming techniques and garden management; promote production linkages, build cooperatives associated with processing enterprises to ensure stable output. She also emphasized the need to promote sustainable farming, prioritize the use of organic fertilizers and biological agents instead of chemical pesticides to protect land and water resources, and focus on building brands and promoting coconut products from the Mekong Delta to the international market.

Vietnam's coconut industry has now become a billion-dollar industry. Photo: Le Hoang Vu.

Ms. Diem paid special attention to the implementation of integrated plant health management (IPHM), a model that synchronously combines seed, cultivation, biological and chemical measures. This includes encouraging the release of natural enemies such as parasitic wasps, pintails, and weaver ants; using green and white mushrooms to control pests, reducing dependence on pesticides.

Compliance with the “4 rights” principle in the use of pesticides is also considered a mandatory requirement for coconut areas serving export. According to Ms. Diem, applying IPHM will help coconut trees grow stably, increase productivity and fruit quality, while meeting safety standards, traceability and export market requirements, contributing to the formation of a sustainable coconut value chain for the Mekong Delta region.

Sharing about the orientation of research and development of the coconut industry in the coming time, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trai, representative of the Mekong Delta Coconut Institute, said that it is necessary to prioritize the application of biotechnology, especially plant cell tissue culture technology and molecular biology in selecting and creating high-quality coconut varieties that adapt to climate change and saline intrusion. At the same time, it is necessary to focus resources on researching pest control solutions in the direction of biosafety, developing deep processing technology to exploit valuable biological active ingredients from coconut and wax coconut, thereby enhancing the value and sustainability of the production chain.

Coconut trees still have great potential for development in our country. Photo: Le Hoang Vu.

In parallel with the research, Mr. Trai proposed supporting businesses in commercializing coconut processed products, developing a circular agricultural model by utilizing coconut processing by-products to produce organic fertilizers for organic coconut gardens. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in cultivation, pest monitoring and environmental forecasting is also assessed by experts as a new direction to help the Vietnamese coconut industry modernize, improve productivity, quality and efficiency, and develop sustainably.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quy Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, Vietnam's coconut industry has now become a billion-dollar industry, playing an important role in the national agricultural and export structure. Despite many achievements, the coconut industry still has great room for development, especially in increasing added value, diversifying products and promoting the application of science and technology in production.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-dinh-hinh-lai-nganh-hang-dua-d782711.html