HÀ NỘI — A dip in the amount of home-grown coconuts has forced domestic suppliers to look elsewhere for the fruit, causing a huge surge in imports in the first seven months of the year. 

According to the Việt Nam Fruit and Vegetable Association, coconuts imports totalled US$31.2 million from January to July, representing up 1,873 per cent from a year earlier. In comparison, overall fruit and vegetable imports rose just 18 per cent to $1.45 billion.

The association’s General Secretary Đặng Phúc Nguyên said that the surge in imports comes as exports of coconuts are growing rapidly, driven by demand from China, the US and the Middle East but local output is limited, and prices are high, forcing companies to import coconuts for production.

Việt Nam is importing coconuts from Indonesia and exploring supply from Papua New Guinea.

The US has opened door for Vietnamese coconuts since 2023, and China followed in August 2024.

Việt Nam’s fresh coconut exports increase by 14.9 per cent to $102.8 million while processed coconuts by 56.8 per cent to $203.4 million.

According to Vietnam Coconut Association, domestic coconut prices hit record highs in the first half of this year, ranging around VNĐ19,000 per fruit on limited supply caused by drought in the Mekong Delta and disease in central regions.

However, the expansion of coconut plantations must follow a plan, the association said.

The association forecast fresh coconut exports this year could exceed last year’s value of $390 million.

There are more than 200,000ha of coconut in Việt Nam with an output of around two million tonnes per year. The number of coconut processing plants also rises rapidly from just eight in 2015 to 45 in 2024. — VNS