Tra Vinh (VNA) - The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh is encouragingfarmers to grow more organic coconuts to increase the value of the produce.

Tran Van Dung, deputy director of its Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said coconut farmers and companies would be offered preferentialpolicies for the purpose and linked up to establish value chains.

The department has instructed its Plant Protection and CultivationSub-department to teach farmers organic coconut growing techniques andstrengthen advocacy about its benefits.

Besides reducing costs, the cultivation of organic coconuts also helps protectthe environment and community health.

Tra Vinh, which is the country’s second largest coconut producer afterneighbouring Ben Tre province, has more than nearly seven million trees, mostlyin Cang Long, Tieu Can and Cau Ke districts.

It produces 370,000 tonnes equivalent to 444 million coconuts a year.

With support from the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Project in TraVinh province, the department developed a plan to enhance the coconut valuechain productivity in 2018.

It focuses on developing concentrated organic farming areas and linkagesbetween coconut farmers and companies.

In the five years since, the organic coconut growing area has increased to5,000ha, up nearly 4,600ha from 2018, with an annual output of 78,500 tonnes ofnuts.

Farmers have contracts with companies, who buy their coconuts at 10-15% abovemarket prices.

Duong Van Tho, Chairman of the Ngãi Hùng Agriculture Co-operative in Tieu Can district,said his co-operative was assisted with developing a 392ha coconut growing areain 2019.

The department should regularly organise courses to train farmers in organicgrowing techniques, he said.

Farmers, co-operatives and companies should be helped with the development ofvalue chains, he added.

Farmers, co-operatives and companies are developing more organic coconutgrowing areas.

The Thuan Phong Agricultural Product Processing Co., Ltd. in Ben Tre provincehas developed a 906ha organic coconut plantation in Chau Thanh district.

The company is expected to expand it by 3,000ha by September.

Tra Vinh plans to increase its coconut growing area to 30,000ha by 2030 frommore than 26,000ha now.

It has more than 50 companies, co-operatives and households which make productssuch as dried coconut flesh, coconut milk, oil, coal, cosmetic products, andothers for both domestic consumption and exports./.