Mr. Le Van Ninh from Tan Hoa Township, Tieu Can District, Tra Vinh Province has more than 20 years of experience in cultivating coconuts using traditional methods. Since receiving technical guidance from community officials, he has begun converting more than 3 acres of mature gardens to organic coconuts. After more than 4 years of farming, Mr. Ninh is delighted because his garden is recognized to have been grown using international standard organic methods.

He shared that to grow coconut effectively, the first thing he did was not to use chemical fertilizers, instead using manure, microbial fertilizers, and rotted fertilizers. Although they don’t work as quickly as chemical fertilizers, over the long term these fertilizers help make the soil porous and retain soil moisture, which can effectively protect coconut palms against drought and salinity.

According to Mr. Ninh’s experience, the most important technique is the correct application of manure. Farmers need to understand the biological characteristics of coconut palms, whose root system is concentrated at the base in a 1.5-2 m radius and penetrates 4 m deep into the soil. Based on this trait, growers should fertilize in a radius where many coconut roots are concentrated so that the plant can absolutely absorb the fertilizer.

Also, Mr. Ninh didn’t forget to clean the grass to avoid the hidden disease-causing insects from eating coconut roots. “Previously planted in the traditional way, I harvested 1 hectare of about 1,000 coconuts (1,000 fruits), since growing melons according to organic standards, fertilizing manure, manure rotting, green leaves, false fruit, an average of 1 hectare for 1 bis 3 fruits or more, the quality of the coconut has also improved significantly. Since the fruits are big, the traders come to the garden to buy them. I don’t have to sell them like I used to,” Mr Ninh said.

Like Mr. Ninh, farmer Lam Van Ngon (who lives in the same area) has been converting from traditional to organic farming for more than 4 years. Through the cultivation process, Mr. Ngon found that the organic method of planting coconuts does not leave the throat and is less prone to pests and diseases. During the hot months, Mr. Ngon picks up dried coconut leaves to keep the roots moist, stimulating the coconut’s roots to grow well and limiting soil erosion. Absolut Mr. Ngon does not use herbicides but uses hand made grass to compost on the stump, after some time the grass will rot into organic fertilizer to grow coconut roots.

Speaking about the organic cultivation method, Mr. Ngon said he felt safe for the health of his family and those around him most of all. Compared to traditional cultivation, organic coconut cultivation helps farmers save 30-40% of annual costs.

“On average, I fertilize and water every coconut tree every year with about 50,000 money for manure. In the past, chemical fertilizers had to spend almost 200,000 for each root. Not only that, but growing coconut with this method is the company’s production at a price that is 5-10% higher than the market price. This gives me a regular income of around 10 million/month/ha,” informed Mr. Ngon.

According to the majority of farmers in the Mekong Delta, the coconut is an easy-to-grow crop that is easy to adapt to local soil conditions and easy to care for. Thanks to the use of organic farming, the durability of the tree increases. People are also less worried about drought and salinity. In addition to coconut palms, farmers who see an effective organic farming method are also applying it to a range of other crops.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lung, deputy head of Tra Vinh Province’s Plantations and Plant Protection Subdepartment, said the coconut area in the province is nearly 25,500 ha, which accounts for 58% of the perennial area of ​​the province. In the organic coconut has 5,000 ha, most concentrated in the districts of Tieu Can, Cau Ke, Cang Long …

Tieu Can District is considered the “capital” of the province’s organic coconut with more than 2,000 hectares recognized by international standards. Accordingly, the farmers have safely followed the process of growing coconut, do not use fertilizers and chemical medicines, so some companies that process coconut products buy them at prices 5-10% above the market.

Every year, Tra Vinh province suffers from salt intrusion from November to February next year, which affects the cultivation of some crops. Through survey and evaluation, the above situation does not affect the yield and quality of coconut trees. Especially with organic cultivation methods, coconut palms deliver higher yields than traditional cultivation. Growing organic coconuts also saves a lot of money…

“The province aims to grow an additional 8,000 ha of coconuts by 2025, including 6,000 ha of organically grown coconuts that meet international standards. In addition to coconut palms, the province is also expanding organic cultivation of rice and some other fruit trees to contribute to the production of typical Tra Vinh province products.

However, the current coconut price in the provinces of the Mekong Delta fluctuates erratically up and down. But one of the outstanding benefits of organic farming is that it has changed farmer awareness and habits. At the same time, it will create a spillover for safe production under the increasingly severe conditions of climate change,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Lung, Deputy Director of Tra Vinh Provincial Cultivation and Crop Protection Subdivision.