Addressing the event, Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Plant Protection Department (PPD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said the Chinese market’s opening to Vietnamese fresh coconuts brings a golden opportunity.
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Vietnamese and Chinese enterprises sign a coconut purchase contract at a ceremony |
With a population of over 1.4 billion and domestic supply meeting only about 10% of the demand, China represents a great potential market for Vietnam’s coconut products, Dat said, noting that if this opportunity is fully tapped, coconut export to China can bring an additional 200-300 million USD as early as 2024, helping Vietnam’s coconut export earnings soon reach the 1-billion-USD goal.
The official export of fresh coconuts from Ben Tre to China marks a new milestone in ongoing efforts to expand markets and elevate the position of Vietnamese agricultural products on the international market, Dat stressed.
Vietnam's position in the global coconut market is impressive, ranking 6th among the top 10 countries in terms of cultivation area and output. With roughly 200,000 ha of coconut plantations, the country produces around 1.9 million tons of coconuts annually. Ben Tre province makes a significant contribution to this, producing up to 688 million coconuts in 2022.
Vietnam has so far exported fresh coconuts to 14 countries with total volume exceeding 26.7 million coconuts per year. This figure highlights the immense potential of the coconut industry nationwide and in Ben Tre in particular.
Dat urged production, packaging, and export units to strictly abide by food safety regulations, quality standards, and phytosanitary procedures as regulated in the protocol on phytosanitary requirements for Vietnamese fresh coconuts exported to China, and related regulations.
With the joint efforts made by local departments and agencies, Ben Tre now has 133 planting areas and 14 packing facilities granted with codes to export to China.
Source: VNA