Coconut is expected to become a billion-dollar export item

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How do you evaluate the potential for exporting agricultural products in general and fresh coconut products to China?

In the first nine months of 2024, Tien Giang achieved an export turnover of US $ 4.25 billion, an increase of 6.78% over the same period last year and reaching 85% of the annual target. This is the highest increase ever. In which, the group of exported fruits and vegetables also improved strongly compared to the same period last year.

In the first 9 months of 2024, Tien Giang exported over 36,000 tons of various fruits and vegetables, earning nearly US $96 million, an increase of 71.46% in volume and 71.84% in value. In addition to the Chinese market, Tien Giang fruits and vegetables are also exported to many countries such as the United States, EU, Japan, Korea, etc., helping Tien Giang province's agricultural products expand their markets, grow exports in a sustainable direction, attract foreign currency, and benefit farmers.

Notably, according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as data from Tien Giang province, among the 63 provinces and cities nationwide, there are three localities with the largest coconut growing areas: Ben Tre, Tra Vinh and Tien Giang. The potential for exporting fresh coconuts as well as coconut products in these three provinces and cities is huge.

In the past, Tien Giang province has also developed a project to develop coconut trees, but it has not been widely implemented because it has not found an outlet for coconut trees. When the Government signed the Protocol on exporting fresh coconuts with China, it opened up an opportunity for the project to be implemented. This is also an opportunity for coconut farmers to increase their income and change their lives.

This is a process in which the Vietnamese Government has persistently negotiated with Chinese partners and been approved. This opens up great opportunities for coconut growers as well as provinces with large coconut growing areas.

Recently, the first batch of fresh coconuts from Tien Giang was officially exported to China by rail. How do you evaluate this new form of transportation?

Tien Giang is one of the provinces with the largest area and output of fruit trees in the Mekong Delta (MD). In recent years, in addition to serving the domestic market, many agricultural products, including fruits, have been exported to China and other countries. However, the main export method of enterprises today is road transport via container trucks, which is costly and increases the risk of transportation.

Therefore, the first train carrying fresh coconuts for export to China with the participation of enterprises in Tien Giang province marks an important first step in the official export of fresh coconuts to the billion-people market. Transporting fresh coconuts by international transit train not only helps Binh Duong but also the provinces in the MD to solve this difficulty.

When goods and agricultural products arrive at the railway station, they will be checked for food safety and hygiene and all customs procedures will be completed, helping businesses significantly reduce the cost of exporting goods to other countries, especially China - a partner importing many agricultural products of Tien Giang as well as the Mekong Delta provinces. This also helps businesses have more profits to share with farmers, stimulate farmers to develop, expand coconut growing areas as well as invest capital and technology to improve product quality.

It can be said that opening this new mode of transportation not only contributes to promoting the export of fruits and agricultural products of the region to other countries but also opens a new service for the railway industry. With the above advantages, I also expect that our country's coconut will become a billion-dollar commodity like durian has done in recent years.

With the potential for railway development, Binh Duong province is planning a logistics center to serve the import and export of goods from Song Than station. What do you expect from this strategy?

If Binh Duong plans a 200ha area as a logistics center, we expect a huge change. It helps not only Binh Duong but also the Mekong Delta in facilitating the export of goods in general and agricultural products in particular. If there is a logistics center, there will be support services for businesses. When goods are transported to the logistics center, they will be inspected, checked for food safety and hygiene and all procedures. At that time, if businesses have goods that do not meet export criteria, they can switch to domestic consumption or transfer them to the locality for consumption in other ways. This will cut down on many costs and business risks. It will create great opportunities for businesses and localities to boost the export of agricultural and aquatic products as well as other goods to other countries, especially China, which is a major importer of goods from Vietnam.

Thank you!