Prices of dried coconut in Ben Tre Province, the Mekong Delta coconut-farming hub, have recovered to VND3,300-4,200 (US$14-18 cents) per fruit after falling steeply in the last two years. Before the pandemic, prices were VND5,800-6,700 for dried coconuts, enabling him to earn VND6-10 million a month by selling them.
A trader in Ben Tre City said that due to the low prices in recent times many coconut farmers neglected their orchards and even switched to growing other fruits, resulting in decreased output of coconut and lower quality. The province hopes the nut could be exported to the U.S. and China, two major markets, under official quotas.
Ben Tre has over 74,000 hectares of coconut orchards, or 50% of the country’s total area, and an annual output of 690 million dried coconuts, whose copra is used for processing including oil extraction.
Source: retailnews.asia