The Ben Tre Coconut Festival 2015 is an opportunity to exchange experiences of local farmers, domestic and international businesses, to promote connection, gradually improve the value of coconut products, and to create chances for trade promotion, and tourism investment, which contributes to socio-economic development. This is 4th festival has purposes of inheriting and promoting achievements through coconut festivals in Ben Tre; simultaneously, determining the position of coconut products and coconut industry in Vietnam in general and Ben Tre coconut products in particular in the world market; promoting Vietnam coconut industry; and promoting sustainable coconut industry integration and development. Ben Tre Coconut Festival 2015 will take place from April 7 to April 13.
On April 7 evening, Ben Tre province in coordination with various ministries and central agencies organized Ben Tre Coconut Festival IV- 2015. Participants in the opening ceremony were Member of the Politburo - Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc; Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh - Chairman's southwest and former leaders of the Party and State, leaders of ministries, central sectors, and leaders of many provinces and cities across the country. Ben Tre Coconut Festival 2015 takes place from April 7 to April 13 with the theme of "Vietnam Coconut Tree - Integration and Development" with the national scale. Main contents with interesting and exciting activities in Ben Tre Coconut Festival are coconut land festival day, coconut space, exhibition of coconut products and expo, Southern coconut cuisine festival, coconut farmers honoring ceremony, businessmen and enterprises honoring ceremony...
The highlight of the festival is "Coconut land festival day is a community activity taking place in 164 communes, wards, and towns in Ben Tre with diverse contents, especially associated with daily life of locals. This is the time of enjoying healthy, rewarding cultural activities. During the festival, there will be special Ben Tre Coconut Festival activities organized such as opening ceremony, closing ceremony, parade, Southern Food Festival, Ben Tre coconut Beauty contest, coconut garden competition, honoring coconut farmers, and launching composing Ben Tre poetry. Visitors coming to the festival will have the opportunity to experience "Sparkling waters tours". In particular, the highlight of the festival is the "Week of Culture - Tourism" with diverse contents which promise to attract more visitors. In addition, many activities will take place on the sidelines of the festival such as exhibitions, conferences and seminars.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 4th Ben Tre Coconut Festival, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highly appreciated the role and significance of the festival, the position of coconut trees in Ben Tre, as well as those in Vietnam in social life, especially in cultural and spiritual life of locals, contributing to the poverty reduction. He added, ministries and central agencies must support and create conditions to develop coconut industry in Vietnam and in Ben Tre, especially to increase the quality of coconut products and expand the export market. Deputy Prime Minister ordered Ben Tre and some provinces should plan coconut area suitable to local soil for the production development, market demand, product diversification and modernization of production lines and expanding consumer market products. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also asked the ministries and central agencies jointly support the development of the coconut industry, creating conditions for sustainable development of the coconut industry, contributing to social and economic development, improve people's lives.
Mr. Vo Thanh Hao, Chairman of Ben Tre People's Committee stressed that Ben Tre had been known for revolutionary tradition. The province ranks first in the area and quantity of coconut in Vietnam. This is a chance to promulgate the image of Ben Tre and local people to tourists, to appeal investment, economic - cultural - tourism cooperation. The event is one of the biggest festivals in Vietnam, especially in southern, which not just promulgate the potential of Vietnam coconut industry, but also the image of local people and natural favorable conditions. At present, Ben Tre province has about over 63,000ha coconut with the yield of about 500 million coconuts/year. The value of coconut accounts for more than 25% of the total industrial production value, and about 40% of the total export turnover of the province. Up until now, coconut trees and coconut products have been exported to over 70 countries and continents in the world. Annually, coconut products bring back a great economic benefit to Ben Tre (about 4,000 billion dong). On this occasion, Mr. Nguyen Kim Anh, Vice Director of the State Bank of Vietnam support 55 billion dong for social welfare activities in Ben Tre.