COCONUT TREE, A TARGET OF LESSING POVERTY AND GETTING STABLEDEVLOPMENT
I. Scope of Planning; Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.)in Vietnam
According to Asia-Pacific Coconut Corporation’s statistic (APCC -1991) Vietnam’s output reached 1.200 coconut-palms from 333.000 ha while the scope of growing land has only 153.000 ha stimated by FAO (2004) .
In Vietnam, Coconut has grown popularly in small landowner, later widen to the garden or areas near canals and native land… with high density about 5-6 m distance. Through survey of Oil-Botany Research Institute (Industry Dept) that the actual scope of growing land in Vietnam is about 180.000 ha with average capacity at 36-38 pcs/tree/year, the yield of copra gained 1 -1,2 tons/ha/year. Vietnam has about 28.800.000 coconut trees with average density is 160 trees/ha .
Coconut tree not only is the monthly economic income resouce of households but Ialso a social income resouce in settle the employment to workers from products of coconut like copra, coconut water, stem or leaves… .It has the enviromental and i ecological meaning in contribute pushing the economic development up, upgrading the life of farmers, lessing the poverty, developing agriculture & rural to the stable level.
Coconut stem will be sold with cheap price or left when it becomes old. If each old coconut tree has length 10m, dia 25cm with usage capacity 60%, will get 8.640.000 m3 wood that can be used replace to forest wood. This is the large potential of “Coconut Forest” in Vietnam.
II. The Actual state of Coconut garden and the supply demand from Coconut Wood in Vietnam.
With usage circle of coconut tree prolonged 40-50 years for taking oil, easy growing and can living at various conditions. There’re 2 main groups grown with different basic specifications:
High Group Small Group
(for taking oil, process others products) (use as drinks)
-Native Coconut (green, yellow) -Xiem Coconut(green, red)
-Strawberry coconut (green, yellow) -Tam Quan coconut
-Fire Coconut -Eo Coconut (brown, green)
-Paper Coconut -Pineapple Coconut
-Bung Coconut -Num Coconut ,
-Solid Coconut (cream)
The High group has big, round stem, grows fast (can reach to 18 -20m) but late reproduct, its palms using for taking oil and processing the valid products as ladle, The economic usage circle extented 40-50 years. This is the native breed takes 70% of all breeds, strawberry coconut takes 15% and the last ones is hibrid & others.
The small group with shorter length (about 8-10m), grows late with small diameter, early reproduce and used as beverage. It’s usage time is about 30-40 years, popularly is Xiem coconut with sweet water grown in most household’s garden
After 1975, Coconut trees was grown ,recovered and developed in Vietnam, mainly in Duyen Hai, Mien Trung and Nam Trung Bo (Phu Yen, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, Quang Ngai…) with scope of land took over 50% (in total of 32.000ha). So, Vietnam’s Coconut age is still young that can not exploited yet. In Cuu Long Delta, a big scope of land that can decide capacity & yield of coconut with 80% quantities of coconut grown after the war and are with age of 25-30 years. Therefore, there are 27.000 -30.000 ha equivalent to 4.300.000 -4.800.000 of old coconut trees
need cut and use how to bring the effect results Each old coconut tree has average length 10m, dia 25cm =”0.3m3,” estimated with 4.500.000 old ones x 0.3 m3/lpcs counted into 1.350.000m3 wood supply to demand for process & export.
III. The Actual State of usage old coconut in vietnam
Some products made by coconut Tree with various usages:
1. Coconut Palm
-Coconut Copra: oil, dried copra, milk coconut & other cakes…
-Coconut Peel: produce drap, curtain, rope …serve in industry and save Envlroment
-Cover of coconut: produce coal, fire material
-Water: produce vinagar , alcohol, food…
-Coconut leaves: produce the handicraft
2. Coconut stem: use for construct, make in handicraft and family fumitures.
However, using the coconut stem is hanging at the balance with low value in selling as well as processing handicraft. Until now, the usage to old coconut wood still is a question replace for thrown them away because of payment of high expenses from cuting or transporting
IV. EDS technology appliance to Coconut wood in Vietnam
With EDS technology (ecological drying system) of UNIDO ITPO Tokyo will help the planter completely & usefully use old Coconut wood to produce the fumitures, serve the target of saving Forest,Enviroment ,bring jobs to unemployment, enhance export, reduce import, develops wood material.
Thanks to EDS technology, old Coconut wood will recylced & making less the figure of import (following to Agriculture & Rural development &lndustry Ministry in 2004, Vietnam export wood products reached 1 billion USD and 85% wood material imported for processing) & save current rate, contribute developing rural economic, poverty-alleviation The target to the year of 20 I 0 that export wood products reach 2 billion US, here is a real challenge to both agriculture & industry in cope with material resource, processing technology & ways to save enviroment…
In order to contribute settle above challenges, EDS will become a optimum choose to create high value material after finishing the EDS treament. This is a strong & useful point for Coconut wood in Vietnam.
V. Propose the trend of usage & development to Coconut trees.
Forwarding to the stable target, a modernization & industrialization system. Vietnam need invest some issues:
.Choose, use the new coconut breed that has high capacity: taking oil & supplying drinks.
.Applying all effect cultivative methods to advance the income, establish the model applied to each market- social -economic -ecological conditions.
.Completely use the coconut tree in processing line of foods, industry, agriculture , enhance the economic results from using coconut trees, specially, reseach and confirm the scope of EDS plant in Vietnam so that find out the investors to co-operate together during the apply and develop time to
EDS technology. The products made by coconut & others will be these products that contribute stably develop rural economic, save enviroment
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