(Photo: VNA)

Ben Tre has 80,000 hectares of coconut trees. The province has piloted 6 concentrated coconut production areas, including 5 production areas applying organic standards and one area for coconut milk production.

In April, the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the People's Committee of Ben Tre province organized a trade connection workshop to promote agricultural and aquatic exports between Ben Tre and China, including Ben Tre coconut products.

To prepare to export fresh coconuts to China, the province has focused on training, consulting, transferring coconut cultivation techniques, and creating raw material areas which meet export quality requirements.

Huynh Quang Duc, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: "China values Vietnamese coconuts, which are of high quality. They have inspected growing areas and packaging facilities while we have strengthened distribution channels to send a stable output to China’s large markets. Ben Tre province has aggressively prepared to take advantage of the export protocols Vietnam has signed."

The Vietnam Coconut Association is building sustainable raw material areas to help coconut farmers obtain high prices and increase their competitiveness in the international market, particularly China. Ben Tre coconut products are now sold in more than 90 countries and territories, Europe, the US, and the Middle East. 20 local businesses have registered for growing area codes and packaging facility codes to meet export standards. Models for connecting coconut farmers, businesses, and cooperatives are being expanded.

Exporting coconuts to China will help Ben Tre’s coconut industry achieve stable growth.