Ben Tre actively promotes the development of processing industry

Recently, the Dong Khoi Start-up and Business Development Program has been implemented in Ben Tre province with many encouraging signs. There have been “bright spots” in economic development, seafood and coconut processing. Based on the report of phase 1 of the provincial socio-economic development strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, agro-processing industry is the industry with the most potential for development in Ben Tre.

From 2016 to 2019, the processing and manufacturing industry always prevails over other industries in the province. It is estimated that by 2019 the industry will account for over 97%, of which: manufacturing and seafood processing group 29%, coconut processing 14%, mechanical-electrical-electronics group accounting for 19.9% – 21% of the textile-footwear group.

For the seafood processing industry, the fact shows that the seafood processing of the province compared to the provinces has not had many good signals. The production of aquatic products reaches 55 thousand tons / year, ranking 4th among 13 provinces and cities in the region; 5-year export is estimated at 497 million USD (accounting for 8.7% of total export turnover of the province). The province has not yet had a shrimp processing factory for export with high value but only focused on processing export fish. Dried seafood mainly operates under household scale. This is also the reason for the average export growth in Ben Tre in the period of 2015 – 2018 is only 8%. The province is the top farming area in the country but the export output is currently very low.

Besides, the coconut processing industry is developing quite well. It can be said that Ben Tre is the “national coconut garden”, the “capital” of coconut trees of the whole country. Coconut farming in Ben Tre has long been considered as a garden of civilization, the coconut industry has always played an important role in the socio-economic development of the province. With people in Ben Tre, coconut trees have become very familiar, is a strategic tree, industrial-agricultural tree, making an important contribution in promoting socio-economic development of the province and implementing the program. National target of building a new countryside.

The province currently has 72 thousand hectares of coconut, accounting for 50% of the country’s coconut area, with an output of over 800 million fruits, with 138 enterprises producing products made from coconut, the export turnover has exceeded 200. million dollars. Especially in recent years, coconut rice processing enterprises have improved in technology to improve capacity, quality and diversify products, boost export markets to 100 countries and territories.

However, currently only about 30% of coconut production is processed into products. Part of the reason is that the uneven quality of input materials does not meet production requirements and partly because farmers are willing to sell coconut materials to intermediaries for export at a higher price.

In order to assess the current situation and potential of industries in the area, the Department of Industry and Trade has also collaborated with related units to conduct surveys, researches and assessments for 170 enterprises out of 535. Enterprises industry – handicraft. The results of the analysis and evaluation serve as an important basis for the Department of Industry and Trade to provide strategic vision for industrial development in the future.

Ben Tre province has been strengthening the link in consumption, renewing mechanisms and policies for coconut export processing enterprises of national and international stature; creating strong value added benefits for coconut growers; increase income for workers in coconut producing and processing factories; strongly develop new-style agricultural cooperatives in close association with enterprises participating in the value-added chain of coconut products; do not let coconut growers lose out on the market.

Productivity and Quality Office