Coconut trees (Cocos nucifera L.) is one of the perennial oil crops of the tropics mainly been grown very popular in many developing countries to provide food and catering for industrial purposes. Natural conditions in our country and society favorable to the development of coconut trees from the Red River Delta to Ca Mau cape. In particular, the coconut trees grow well in the Mekong Delta and central coast.
1 Cultivation coconut in Vietnam
Coconut tree has many uses and processing of a variety of products. Coconuts for food like fresh coconut, dried coconut, desiccated coconut, coconut jelly, coconut candy, coconut milk, coconut milk powder, coconut yogurt, cheese coconut, fresh coconut juice. Other products from the body, ears flowers coconut, coconut leaf veins produced many handicraft items with consumer demand and high export value. Including coir coconut shell, coconut shavings and flock. Coconut fiber is used as cushioning, building materials, fibers are woven tangled rope, net ecosystem. Cocos is a very good moisturizer is used in agricultural production and fertilizer. Coconut shell charcoal is produced as sintered, activated carbon for air filter, fine filter for other refined products.
Products coconuts are harvested monthly, help stabilize income, creating jobs for rural workers through the processing of coconut products. Therefore, coconut tree is called the "tree of life" (The Tree of Life). In Vietnam, coconut tree is not only economic value but also the image associated with the homeland and its people.
Currently, in the context of climate change, increased saltwater intrusion, droughts and floods are extraordinary threat to the coastal plains, especially in the Mekong Delta. Coconut crops were evaluated with the ability to withstand risks, become an object of important crops in farming systems contribute to the development of sustainable agriculture in the future, especially for the low coastal plains.
2 Area, yield and production of coconut Vietnam
Coconuts have been expected to thrive in Vietnam, and the time has been planted acreage more than 300 thousand hectares. Since the 1980s, the state has plans to develop coconut scale of 700 thousand hectares. According to the APCC, in 1991, Vietnam had 330 thousand hectares of coconut (according to the research report Analyzing Ben Tre coconut value chain - 2011).
However, in a long time, the area of coconut Vietnam continued decline. Currently, Vietnam only about 140 thousand ha. According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (2009), the area of coconut and coconut areas are harvested declined rapidly in 2000-2003
According to the General Statistics Office, coconut areas decreased from 163 182 hectares of the country in 2000 was 140 200 ha in 2010, but the average yield increase due to increased output from 967.7 thousand tonnes in 2000 to 1179.5 thousand tons in 2010 , coconut concentrated mainly in the Mekong delta, South Central coast and South East
According to the figures showed the Mekong Delta accounts for over 84% of the country's coconut area, with an area of about 118 thousand hectares. In particular, area for harvest was 102 thousand hectares (83%). Private Ben Tre province has the largest scale coconut is grown throughout the country and focus a large area of raw materials for processing of coconut products. From 2005 until now, the area of Ben Tre coconut constantly increasing, and new areas of coconut cultivation increased rapidly.
According to Ben Tre Bureau of Statistics, in 2005, Ben Tre coconut only 37 595 ha, of which an area of 33 587 ha harvested, but by the end of 2013, Ben Tre has 63,000 ha of coconut, in which the area for harvest is 53 507 ha. Thus, in less than 10 years of Ben Tre coconut area has more than 25 thousand hectares (up 68%) and accounted for 45% of coconut in the country.
