Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh speaks at the event (Photo: VNA) Ben Tre (VNA) – Thefifth Ben Tre Coconut Festival, themed “Coconutson the Way to Integration and Sustainable Development”, opened in the MekongDelta city of Ben Tre on November 16 in the presence of National AssemblyChairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Secretary of theprovincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s CommitteeCao Van Trong said it is the first time the festival has been held inconcurrent with the great national unity festival in wards and communes.
Ben Tre is now home to over72,000ha of coconut, accounting for half of the country’s and 80 percent of theMekong Delta’s total areas. With over 800 million nuts each year, the provinceearns over 200 million USD from export and its coconut products are availablein more than 50 countries and territories at present, he said.
In his speech, PermanentDeputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh lauded Ben Tre as a “national coconutorchard” and the “capital of coconut” of the country.
According to him, coconut isa strategic industrial-agricultural item that makes important contributions tothe local socio-economic development and the national target programme for newrural development.
Binh asked Ben Tre toeffectively connect with Ho Chi Minh City and the southern key economic region,step up administrative reform, attract domestic, Asian and global investorswith financial capacity to fuel rapid and breakthrough socio-economicdevelopment while seeking measures in response to climate change.
He requested more attentionto scientific research to improve varieties, providing incentives to boostcoconut growing and its products, promoting trade to increase export revenue by10 folds in the next 5-10 years, and popularising Ben Tre’s images to attract 2million visitors next year, including 900,000 foreigners.
The festival will last tillNovember 20 with various activities such as the southern coconut cuisinefestival, an exhibition on coconut products and trade fair, a seminar onbuilding, tapping and developing local special brands.
A highlight of the event willbe the “ao ba ba” (traditional costume of southern people) festival, streetarts, tours of ecological sites and coconut orchards, and a festivalintroducing food cooked from coconuts./.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Secretary of theprovincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s CommitteeCao Van Trong said it is the first time the festival has been held inconcurrent with the great national unity festival in wards and communes.
Ben Tre is now home to over72,000ha of coconut, accounting for half of the country’s and 80 percent of theMekong Delta’s total areas. With over 800 million nuts each year, the provinceearns over 200 million USD from export and its coconut products are availablein more than 50 countries and territories at present, he said.
In his speech, PermanentDeputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh lauded Ben Tre as a “national coconutorchard” and the “capital of coconut” of the country.
According to him, coconut isa strategic industrial-agricultural item that makes important contributions tothe local socio-economic development and the national target programme for newrural development.
Binh asked Ben Tre toeffectively connect with Ho Chi Minh City and the southern key economic region,step up administrative reform, attract domestic, Asian and global investorswith financial capacity to fuel rapid and breakthrough socio-economicdevelopment while seeking measures in response to climate change.
He requested more attentionto scientific research to improve varieties, providing incentives to boostcoconut growing and its products, promoting trade to increase export revenue by10 folds in the next 5-10 years, and popularising Ben Tre’s images to attract 2million visitors next year, including 900,000 foreigners.
The festival will last tillNovember 20 with various activities such as the southern coconut cuisinefestival, an exhibition on coconut products and trade fair, a seminar onbuilding, tapping and developing local special brands.
A highlight of the event willbe the “ao ba ba” (traditional costume of southern people) festival, streetarts, tours of ecological sites and coconut orchards, and a festivalintroducing food cooked from coconuts./.
VNA