HCM CITY — THACO AGRI has secured agreements with existing international distributors to export 680,000 tonnes of bananas in 2027, more than triple the 2026 volume.

At a partnership signing ceremony in HCM City on November 12, the company signed agreements with distributors including Del Monte, Willink International, Shanghai Sofia International, Shenzhen Hongshengxiang Agricultural Development, Shenzhen Sister Banana Fruit, Changsheng Industrial, Tokyo Seika Trading and Xinfadi.

Trần Bá Dương, chairman of THACO, said THACO AGRI, the group's agricultural sub-holding, had secured orders for its entire planned banana output next year. The contracted volume is equivalent to about 37,000 containers, exceeding the company's combined output over the previous three years.

China is expected to take nearly 500,000 tonnes in 2027, representing an estimated 22 per cent market share, while shipments to Japan are projected at 150,000 tonnes, accounting for about 14 per cent. The remaining 30,000 tonnes will be exported to other markets, including Hong Kong and Singapore.

Dương said the company had also received orders from major distributors in the Middle East and Europe but could not accept them because of limited production capacity.

Cristian Alvarado, general director of Del Monte Fresh Produce Vietnam, said the partnership with THACO AGRI began with a site visit in 2023, followed by trial shipments and technical cooperation. The two companies signed a 10-year banana purchase agreement on November 26, 2025. Commercial supplies to Japan and Hong Kong began in 2026, alongside trials of MD2 pineapples in Cambodia.

“Looking ahead to 2027, contracted banana volume is expected to more than double,” he said.

Zheng Yiqiang, chairman of Willink International (Hongkong) Limited, said the company had distributed THACO AGRI bananas in China and Central Asia for more than six years, with cumulative purchases exceeding 35,000 containers. At peak periods, its network handled up to 408 containers a week. The company has committed to purchasing 7,470 containers next year, up from 1,872 in 2026.

Established in 2019, THACO AGRI operates large-scale agricultural projects in Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia, focusing on an integrated, circular production model supported by organic, industrialised and digitalised farming.

Speaking at THACO AGRI Strategic Partnership Conference 2027 in HCM City on November 12, Trần Bảo Sơn, President of THACO AGRI, said by 2026, the company had invested VNĐ42.5 trillion (US$1.6 billion) in four agricultural complexes in Snuol and Koun Mom in Cambodia, Southern Laos and Việt Nam's Central Highlands.

The company had 9,700ha of banana plantations, of which 6,500ha were bearing fruit. Banana exports were projected at 214,400 tonnes, generating $242 million in revenue in 2026. Shipments included 90,000 tonnes to Japan and 124,000 tonnes to China.

In 2027, THACO AGRI plans to plant an additional 7,000ha, bringing its total banana-growing area to 16,700ha, of which 13,200ha are expected to be in production. It targets export revenue of $498 million, Sơn said.

Beyond bananas, the company plans to expand production of durian, mangoes, pomelos, pineapples, sugarcane, rice and other cereals. It is also developing large-scale pig-breeding projects in Gia Lai and Đắk Lắk.

The company expects to invest more than VNĐ5.47 trillion in 2027 and increase its workforce from about 40,000 to 55,000. Revenue is projected at VNĐ18-20 trillion, equivalent to around 20 per cent of THACO Group's total revenue.

By September 2026, all its fruit-growing farms had obtained GLOBALG.A.P. certification, while its cattle farms had achieved GLOBAL S.L.P. certification. — VNS