A Tuyet Phung Company coconut candy processing line in Ben Tre Province’s Mo Cay Nam District. (Source: VNA)Ben Tre (VNA) - Businesses making coconut-based productsin the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre are facing a raw material shortage dueto last year’s drought and saltwater intrusion from the sea into rivers.
Nguyen Bao Tri, deputy director of the Luong Quoi CoconutProcessing Company, said: “The supply in the province is not enough to meet thedemand of the market and processing companies. Companies have to import driedcoconut from other places.”
Companies have to compete with each other to buy raw materials fortheir production, he added.
Due to the shortage, prices have surged to around 110,000 VND(nearly 5 USD) for a dozen coconuts, nearly double the rate at this time lastyear.
Some coconut groves have also been plagued by insects this year,local farmers said.
According to the province’s Department of Industry and Trade, BenTre has nearly 2,000 companies processing coconut-based products to supply boththe domestic and export markets.
When operating at full capacity, they need around 1.1 billiondried coconuts a year.
The shortage is a big challenge now, the department said.
The Ben Tre People’s Committee’s vice chairman Nguyen Huu Lap toldthe Sai Gon Giai Phong (the Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper thatmost farmers grow coconuts on small pieces of land, and face all attendantproblems.
Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Vo Thanh Hao said toresolve their problems and ensure steady production farmers need to changetheir production methods.
The main need at the moment is to work together by setting upco-operation models and co-operatives and apply modern technologies to improvequality and prevent insects, he said.
Co-operation between farmers, companies, managers and scientistsis essential and needs to be strengthened, he said, adding that companiesshould actively connect with farmers and help them use technology to increasequality and yields.-VNA
Nguyen Bao Tri, deputy director of the Luong Quoi CoconutProcessing Company, said: “The supply in the province is not enough to meet thedemand of the market and processing companies. Companies have to import driedcoconut from other places.”
Companies have to compete with each other to buy raw materials fortheir production, he added.
Due to the shortage, prices have surged to around 110,000 VND(nearly 5 USD) for a dozen coconuts, nearly double the rate at this time lastyear.
Some coconut groves have also been plagued by insects this year,local farmers said.
According to the province’s Department of Industry and Trade, BenTre has nearly 2,000 companies processing coconut-based products to supply boththe domestic and export markets.
When operating at full capacity, they need around 1.1 billiondried coconuts a year.
The shortage is a big challenge now, the department said.
The Ben Tre People’s Committee’s vice chairman Nguyen Huu Lap toldthe Sai Gon Giai Phong (the Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper thatmost farmers grow coconuts on small pieces of land, and face all attendantproblems.
Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Vo Thanh Hao said toresolve their problems and ensure steady production farmers need to changetheir production methods.
The main need at the moment is to work together by setting upco-operation models and co-operatives and apply modern technologies to improvequality and prevent insects, he said.
Co-operation between farmers, companies, managers and scientistsis essential and needs to be strengthened, he said, adding that companiesshould actively connect with farmers and help them use technology to increasequality and yields.-VNA
VNA
