Vietnamese Coconut Exports to China: A 14-Billion-Population Market Explosion, Expected to Increase by $2-3 billion This Year, but Challenges Abound!

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the General Administration of Customs of China recently signed a protocol on phytosanitary and food safety requirements for the export of fresh coconuts, farmed crocodiles and frozen durians from Vietnam to China. This has laid a solid foundation for the export of the above three products to China through formal trade channels. With the opening of this huge market with a population of 1.4 billion, Vietnam's total exports of fresh coconut are expected to increase by $200 million to $300 million this year, and are expected to maintain strong growth momentum in the next few years. Recently, coconut farmers in the Jiulong River Delta region have responded enthusiastically to the news.

A coconut farmer in Cha Wing province pointed out that there is a huge demand for coconuts in China at present, and its domestic supply capacity only accounts for 10 percent of the demand. Therefore, with the opening of the Chinese market to Vietnamese coconuts, this will bring great development opportunities for the whole country, especially for major coconut-producing regions such as Cha Jung and Ben Tre provinces.

Lai Wendong, deputy director of the Cha Wing Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that 5,500 hectares of coconut cultivation in the province has met the organic certification standards of the European Union and the United States Department of Agriculture. CU is in the process of evaluating and certifying more than 2,700 hectares of coconut cultivation in the province, which is expected to reach 20% of the total area of organic coconut cultivation in the province.

Currently, Vietnam ranks seventh in the world in terms of coconut production. There are about 188,000 hectares of coconut cultivation in China, mainly in the Jiulong River Delta region. Four provinces - Ben Tre, Cha Wing, Tien Giang and Wing Long - cultivated 130,000 hectares of coconut.

Recently, provinces in the Jiulong River Delta region have started to guide and train coconut farmers to grow coconuts according to the Global Good Agricultural Practices Certification (Global Gap) or organic standards. This has created favorable conditions for Vietnamese coconuts to further explore high-end markets such as the United States and Europe. Going forward, the Chinese market will implement more stringent standards and regulations. Only with good preparation can the Vietnamese coconut industry stand out in the fierce international competition.

Companies said the signing of the protocol to export coconuts to China through formal trade channels will help the total export of the product to exceed the $1 billion mark, while injecting strong momentum into the development of the main coconut producing areas.

The Vietnam Coconut Association predicts that exports of coconut products will reach $1 billion this year. Despite the many challenges, it is not difficult to achieve this goal with continuous investment in the development of productive activities. With the continuous expansion of the formal trade export market of this cash crop, the potential and advantages of coconut trees will be further developed and enhanced.