The popularity of coconut, and more specifically of its water, has led new producing countries, which up until now destined this product to their own market, to start exporting. This crop and its export have increased exponentially because of the health benefits that coconut water offers, as well as because of the marketing efforts that the markets are making to make this product known.
"We can say that our diamond shaped coconuts, which is the way they look after being cut, are organic because they haven't been treated with any chemical substance," said Ron Ray, a partner of Vietlimes. However, only one of the farmers that works with this Vietnamese company has the Global GAP certificate. "The group of producers we collaborate with considers that this certification is too expensive and that it will take a long time to request it," says Ray, who assured that they were willing to help their partners to achieve it, if they wished to.
However, this detail does not affect them especially in terms of sales volume. "It turns out that farmers who are certified, regardless of the product they have, have to offer their products at a higher price, which means that they have fewer opportunities in a very competitive market," Ray added. There are areas where this certification is not necessary, as is the case of Dubai, and that are more guided by prices than by the provenance of products when it comes to supplying their businesses.
"We would like to have some kind of sponsor to help us get the certificates, but we also need to be able to agree on programs that ensure sales throughout the year, especially as we produce this product throughout the whole year," Ray said.
For more information:
Ron Ray
Vietlimes Agricultural Products Import Export Co.
Telf.: +84969655316