Trà Vinh Province develops high-quality coconut farming

A coconut grove in Trà Vinh Province’s Châu Thành District. – VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Hoà

TRÀ VINH – Trà Vinh Province plans to expand coconut areas which are planted to high quality standards and have linkages between farmers and coconut processors to improve farmers’ incomes.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has more than 27,350ha of coconut and is the country’s second largest coconut producer, after neighbouring Bến Tre Province.

Coconuts are planted mostly in Tiểu Cần, Càng Long, Cầu Kè and Trà Cú districts.

The province has about 5,100ha of organic coconut.

It aims to have an additional 200ha of coconut planted to organic, global good agricultural practices (GlobalGAP) or other high-quality standards, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Lê Văn Bá, a member of Tuấn Hằng Agriculture Co-operative in Tiểu Cần District’s Tân Hoà Commune, said most farmers growing organic coconuts in the commune have participated in the co-operative.

“When participating in the co-operative, farmers are provided growing techniques and guaranteed sales at a price of 3 - 5 per cent higher than market prices,” he said.

Võ Quang Cường, deputy head of the Tiểu Cần Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said his agency has encouraged farmers to grow coconuts to organic standards to increase yield and quality and meet export requirements.

Tiểu Cần has 2,740ha of its 5,800ha of coconut planted to organic standards.

Lê Văn Đông, deputy director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province has nine coconut growing areas with a total of 1,240ha which meet criteria to apply for growing codes to export to China.

It has a 150ha coconut farm which has been granted a growing area code for export in Cầu Kè District.

Farmers are getting high prices from selling mature coconuts as their prices increased to VNĐ100,000 (US$4) per dozen nuts, up VNĐ30,000 against two weeks ago.

Farmers can harvest about 1,500 mature coconuts per hectare a month, and if their price are VNĐ50,000 - 100,000 ($2 - 4) per dozen nuts, farmers can earn a profit of VNĐ6 - 12 million ($240 - 480).

Sáp coconut

Trà Vinh is well-known for its specialty sáp coconuts, which have soft and thick pulp that qualify them as sáp (sáp literally means wax).

The coconut is used mostly for desserts such as shakes of coconut mixed with milk, sugar and ice, and other products such as candy, jam, cake and dried sáp coconut.

The province has eight products made from sáp coconut that have been recognised as four- and five-star products under the country’s “One Commune – One Product” (OCOP) programme.

They are sold nationwide and exported.

Cầu Kè District, which is the province’s largest sáp coconut growing area, has more than 1,000ha of the specialty nut.

Companies and co-operatives buy sáp coconut at a price of VNĐ100,000 – 120,000 ($4-5) a nut.

Nguyễn Hoàng Khải, secretary of the Cầu Kè Party Committee, said the district aims to develop sáp coconut cultivation following the province’s zoning plan.

It is encouraging farmers to grow sáp coconut with clean farming methods to improve value, he said.

The province will organise the 100-Year Sáp Coconut Tree Festival in Cầu Kè District at the end of this month to hounor and promote sáp coconut.

This coconut has been planted in the district for 100 years.

To develop organic coconut and sáp coconut, the province has strengthened links with coconut processing companies in Bến Tre Province to expand cultivation.

Many coconut processing companies in Bến Tre have contracts with farmers in Trà Vinh through co-operatives to develop more than 2,000ha of organic coconut.

The province has implemented many programmes to support farmers to link with processing companies to grow organic coconut and expand sáp coconut growing area.

It is calling on companies to invest in coconut processing projects.

It plans to expand coconut growing areas to 30,000ha in 2030. – VNS