Ben Tre Province Making Coconut Bear Sweet Fruits

Ben Tre Province Making Coconut Bear Sweet Fruits 

Coconut trees in Ben Tre have been resuscitated thanks to the indispensable development of the coconut producing and processing industry in recent years. Previously, only a few enterprises were engaged in producing several simply processed products such as coconut fibre yarns, coconut charcoals, crude coconut oils and several fine handicraft articles by simple machinery and equipment and in a small scale. But nowadays, enterprises have invested in updated and high tech production lines to be able to turn out highly valued refined products such as activated charcoals, dry scraped coconut rice and others on a large scale. The dry scraped coconut rice has lured a lot of enterprises, including joint ventures and wholly foreign-invested firms, with a total investment capital of millions of US dollars. Typically, Vinh Tien Co. Ltd is a successful enterprises in Ben Tre Province. Their vast investments have considerably expanded the output of the coconut rice. Besides, the industry of processing and manufacturing products from coconut trees has widened the consumption market, created a competitive environment, and helped stabilise farmers’ lives. This actuality has changed the attitude of farmers towards coconut trees which used to be ignored. Apart from economic values, the coconut producing and processing industry has created jobs for many people, reducing the unemployment rate in Ben Tre Province.

The fledging coconut producing and processing industry in Ben Tre is still quite small in comparison with some other countries. However, with an area of 35,000 hectares, coconut trees bear about 200 million coconuts a year and Ben Tre expects that the industry will be strong enough to compete in the local market as well as the rest of the world. The “coconut” economy will become a strong suit and a key sector for the social and economic development of Ben Tre Province.

• Khac Phu