After the merger, with its existing potential and strengths, the province's coconut industry will soon become a strategic industry of international stature, which has long been the aspiration of coconut growers, the coconut business community and the people of the coconut land.
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| Organic coconut garden in Hung Nhuong commune. |
Expanding raw material areas
“Enterprises are very happy with the policy of accompanying and supporting enterprises, especially the merger of provincial administrative units. This helps expand the space for sustainable development for the coconut industry in general and leading enterprises in the chain of production-processing and consumption linkages,” Mr. Cu Van Thanh - Director of Luong Quoi Coconut Processing Company Limited, An Hiep Industrial Park, Phu Tuc Commune, one of the leading enterprises in the coconut industry in the province, excitedly said.
It is known that this unit is in the top 200 typical enterprises of Vietnam in 2022 with many products winning the National Brand award. Currently, the enterprise has built an organic coconut material area of over 5 thousand hectares, concentrated in Ben Tre province (old).
Chairman of Ben Tre Business Association Tran Van Duc said: “Currently, processing and trading enterprises have exported “Made in Vietnam” coconut products to more than 70 countries around the world . In particular, Vietnamese coconut water has conquered many demanding markets such as the US, Europe, Korea, Japan...
Meanwhile, with the development of the coconut processing industry and the expansion of the export market, the supply of raw coconut in Ben Tre (old), known as the "coconut capital" of the country, has been a matter of concern for factories. In the future, coconut enterprises will expand organic raw material areas and build chain links throughout the province.
According to statistics from the agriculture and environment sector, the province currently has nearly 120,000 hectares of coconut plantations, accounting for more than half of the country's total coconut acreage. Of which, the organic coconut acreage alone has reached about 26,000 hectares and is still expanding.
This figure clearly demonstrates the province's strong determination to transform production methods from traditional to modern, from fragmented production to sustainable value chain development. Organic farming not only helps reduce input costs and greenhouse gas emissions, but also contributes to improving product quality, meeting the standards of export markets, especially high-end markets such as the US, EU and Japan.
“Thanks to systematic investment, application of scientific and technological advances and changes in production thinking, the quality of coconuts and coconut products in the province has been significantly improved. The products have not only been enhanced in terms of commercial value but also opened up great opportunities for brand building and market expansion,” said Lam Van Tan, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment.
From the orientation of sustainable development, the whole province has been granted 171 codes for coconut growing areas for export with a total area of over 11,500 hectares. This is an important requirement that determines the ability of Vinh Long coconuts to reach far, ensuring clear traceability and meeting increasingly strict international food safety requirements.
Efforts to green the coconut industry
One of the bright spots in the efforts to green the coconut industry is that many pioneering enterprises, typically Ben Tre Import-Export Joint Stock Company (Betrimex), have proactively invested heavily in the coconut production value chain according to the circular economic model.
In 2024, Betrimex marked an important milestone in the journey to realize the goal of sustainable development according to international ESG standards (abbreviation in English for Environment-Social-Corporate Governance). This is an important assessment framework used to measure the sustainability and ethical impact of a business or organization.
Particularly in the environmental field, Betrimex has simultaneously implemented greenhouse gas emission inventory activities across the entire value chain. The results show that the total indirect and direct emissions of the system are more than 33 thousand tons of CO₂ equivalent. However, what is more noteworthy is that the enterprise has used solar energy to reduce emissions by nearly 1.5 thousand tons of CO₂ per year, while also controlling the recycling and reuse of water and domestic waste at the factory with high efficiency.
Besides, Betrimex also owns more than 10,500 hectares of organic coconut, accounting for a significant proportion of the total organic coconut area in the province and maintaining a stable raw material area that meets international standards.
This approach not only helps businesses maintain their export market share in demanding markets but also promotes even development from farmers to factories, forming a sustainable agricultural ecosystem. Each hectare of organic coconut also contributes to reducing an average of 210kg of CO₂ per year compared to conventional farming methods, bringing value not only to the economy but also to the environment and rural livelihoods.
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| Producing coconut products at Luong Quoi Coconut Processing Company Limited. |
The province's proactive reorientation of the coconut industry towards organic, circular and sustainable development is a strategic step to elevate the position of Vietnamese agricultural products on the international map.
Accordingly, Vinh Long province orients important pillars including: developing concentrated production areas associated with granting growing area codes; applying high technology in deep processing; developing selective export markets; converting to a circular production model, minimizing waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
With the potential of a large coconut raw material area, a focus on organic development, a dynamic business system and synchronous policies, the province has all the conditions and opportunities to create a new symbol for the coconut industry.
Article and photos: CAM TRUC
Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/kinh-te/cong-nghiep/202507/xanh-hoa-nganh-duade-phat-trien-ben-vung-58f06b8/
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