Bananas are still the main product, but Thaco is aiming to grow pineapples, varieties from growing areas in Africa - Photo of pineapple on Del Monte website
Growing rose pineapple costs 3.2 million VND/fruit, what's special?
Information that Thaco Agri of Thaco Group signed a 10-year contract with Del Monte, the world's leading 135-year-old fruit corporation, is attracting the attention of Vietnam's business and agricultural community.
Under the agreement, Del Monte will purchase at least 71,500 tons of bananas from Thaco by 2026, which can be increased to 240,000 tons if the company increases production. Thaco is persistent in its goal of mechanization, automation and industrial management.
At the signing meeting, Mr. Mohammed Abbas, Permanent Deputy General Director of Fresh Del Monte and Thaco Chairman Tran Ba Duong mentioned the rose fragrance product that will be developed in cooperation between the two sides in the near future.
Mr. Mohamad Abbas - Vice President and CEO of Del Monte Fresh Company - will cooperate with Thaco to focus on pink pineapple and banana products in the initial phase, then expand to dragon fruit, passion fruit, grapefruit... - Photo: KT
"We focus on production and cultivation, while our partners take care of distribution and branding. We are willing to be a farm. When they put their trust in bananas, they also support us, especially with the pineapple variety which is very difficult.
In cooperation, they provide varieties from growing areas in Africa. We are developing 2,000 hectares of Del Monte brand pineapple, with a selling price of up to 3.2 million VND per fruit. Talking about Vietnamese agriculture, we completely meet the requirements and Vietnam can become a fruit supplier for the whole region" - Mr. Tran Ba Duong said and informed that bananas are the first step, the destination in the next 2-3 years is pineapple and many other types of fruit.
According to Tuoi Tre Online 's investigation, the type of pineapple Del Monte transferred to Thaco for planting is not a common pineapple variety, but belongs to the high-value pink pineapple group that is being developed by this corporation.
Del Monte's website shows that the fragrance lines currently available include Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet, Honeyglow, Pinkglow, and Del Monte Zero Carbon Neutral.
Among them, Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet, launched in 1996, is famous for being twice as sweet as traditional pineapple; Honeyglow is hand-harvested at optimal ripeness.
Pinkglow, the exclusive pink-fleshed pineapple launched in 2020, has very limited production.
The latest product, Zero Carbon Neutral, is certified carbon neutral thanks to an emissions offset program in over 7,000 hectares of forest in Costa Rica.
Thaco and Del Monte have not revealed specifically which pineapple variety they will develop, but the details about the value of up to 3.2 million VND/fruit in the transfer of varieties from African growing areas show that this is certainly not a mass-produced pineapple variety.
In the international market, many high-end Del Monte pineapple products are currently priced at several hundred USD per fruit - Photo: Del Monte
Mr. Duc is confident in growing Arabica coffee, planning to export to a market of 1.4 billion people.
Meanwhile, Mr. Doan Nguyen Duc (Bau Duc) - Chairman of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group - said that banana trees are currently contributing the largest revenue and profit.
However, in two years, the order of contribution will change, with coffee rising to number 1 in revenue and profit, followed by durian, mulberry and finally banana.
What is more new is that the group is pursuing a strategy to develop 10,000 hectares of Arabica coffee. Through its partner in China, Hoang Anh Gia Lai's largest export market for bananas and durians, Mr. Duc has noted a sharp increase in demand for coffee in this country.
That is one reason why the coffee price fever of the past two years has tripled prices, mainly due to Chinese people switching from tea drinking to coffee drinking.
With the advantage of suitable land fund, Hoang Anh Gia Lai decided to focus on growing coffee, mainly Arabica which has a value twice as high as Robusta. Besides, coffee trees only need about 1/3 of the labor compared to banana trees, helping to significantly reduce care costs.
Hoang Anh Gia Lai has now completed 2,000 hectares of Arabica coffee and will plant another 1,000 hectares this year. By the end of 2027, the group expects to reach 10,000 hectares in Vietnam and Laos, of which 70% is Arabica and 30% is Robusta.
According to Mr. Duc, coffee is a commodity with two major international trading floors in London (UK) and New York (USA), so there is no need to worry about output. The problem lies only in price and competitiveness. Therefore, Hoang Anh Gia Lai aims to produce at the lowest cost to create an advantage.
"If you do well, you never have to worry about not being able to sell. The important thing is that the price must be lower than others" - Mr. Duc said.
Coffee is identified as a strategic crop, playing an important role in helping Hoang Anh Gia Lai achieve its target of VND5,000 billion in profit by 2028. The Group will focus on exporting green coffee beans to markets with clear standards, instead of participating in retail.
According to agricultural experts, the story of pink pineapple and coffee shows a brighter future for Vietnamese agriculture.
A combination of breakthrough technology, sharp market strategy and flexible transformation capabilities to optimize profits and elevate Vietnamese agricultural products.
Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports aim for 8.5 billion USD mark
Vietnam's fruit and vegetable industry is growing strongly, aiming for a target of 8.5 billion USD in 2025. In the first 10 months of 2025, export turnover reached 7.09 billion USD, up 15.1% over the same period in 2024 and almost reaching the level of the previous year.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, October exports reached 961 million USD, lower than September but nearly double compared to the same period last year.
China remains the largest market, accounting for 62.9% of total turnover, followed by the US (6.6%) and South Korea (3.9%). Growth drivers come from key products such as durian, coconut, mango, banana and processed fruit.
Of which, durian continued to lead with more than 3.2 billion USD in 10 months, despite pressure from quarantine requirements and quality standards of the Chinese market.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sau-chuoi-ti-phu-tran-ba-duong-huong-toi-trong-thom-gia-3-2-trieu-trai-2025112701212169.htm
Comment (0)