Current status of coconut cultivation in Ben Tre province, Vietnam

Abstract

Coconut is an important cash crop in Ben Tre Province, Vietnam, which has a lot of value. This study aimed to determine the current status of coconut cultivation in Ben Tre province through secondary data collected from the Ben Tre Provincal Statistical Office as well as primary data provided by 150 farmers in five coconut cultivated districts consisting of Chau Thanh, Giong Trom, Ba Tri, Thanh Phu, and Binh Dai via participatory interview method. The results showed that coconut planting and harvesting areas in Ben Tre province have been a significant increase over the period from 2012 to 2022, with production increasing by 1.6 times, reaching 686,279 tonnes in 2022. The predominant coconut cultivated method was specialised farming, with most households using tall coconut varieties. Planting density ranged from 160 to 240 trees per hectare. Flowering of the coconut plants was within 3 to 6 years of planting. Fertilization application was 4 to 6 times year^-1 during the business period. Besides, insect pests and diseases on the coconut plants had been controlled by pesticides with 3 to 6 times per year. Coconut fruit yields were depended on variety and cultivation techniques, averaging 80 to 100 fruits tree^-1 year^-1 and 40 to 80 fruits tree^-1 year^-1 for dwarf and tall coconuts, respectively. The investment cost for coconut gardens ranged from 10 to 30 million VND hectare^-1 year^-1, with average incomes of 30 to 100 million VND hectare^-1 year^-1, yielding profits of 30 to 60 million VND hectare^-1 year^-1.