As part of a series of activities marking its 25-year journey, Asia Ingredients Group is continuing to expand its coconut sourcing areas in Vinh Long province while implementing a range of community-focused initiatives.
According to Vinh Long’s Department of Agriculture and Environment, the province had nearly 123,000 hectares of coconut plantations as of Q1, accounting for more than 60 per cent of the country’s total coconut-growing area and making a positive contribution to export growth.
The Mekong Delta locality’s coconut industry has also made strong progress in developing certified organic growing areas that meet stringent organic standards, including USDA (United States), EU, and JAS (Japan) standards, among others. Vinh Long’s coconut products are currently exported to 90 countries and territories.
Under its 2025–2030 coconut industry development programme, with a vision towards 2045, Vinh Long has identified coconut as a key crop and a pillar of the local agricultural economy. The province aims to develop a green, circular, and modern coconut industry that is resilient to climate change and integrated into the global economy.
As a leading Vietnamese life-science solutions and natural ingredients business, Asia Ingredients Group (AIG) operates modern coconut processing facilities through Asia Coconut Processing (ACP) in Vinh Long. The Group continues to work closely with the local authorities and communities, supporting efforts to develop sustainable coconut sourcing areas in the province.
Supporting farmers
Building on its long-running product off-take programme, which provides growers with a stable market for their produce, AIG has recently stepped up technical support for farmers, helping improve the quality of its raw material sourcing areas to meet international market standards.
Under the programme, AIG will provide agricultural inputs and partially cover cultivation and farm maintenance costs for more than 19,000 coconut-growing households across 18 communes in Vinh Long. Implemented over more than two months, from late August to the end of October, the programme has a total budget of over VND9 billion ($346,000).
Covering just over 11,000ha, the initiative will support farmers in major coconut-growing areas of Vinh Long, including Hung Nhuong, An Dinh, Cang Long, Tan Hoa, and An Hiep communes, helping them maintain cultivated areas and uphold the quality of the raw material sourcing through sustainable farming practices.
As one of the 19,000 households participating in the programme, Nguyen Van Hoang, who owns two hectares of organic coconut plantations in Tan Hoa commune, said that AIG’s support comes at the right time, helping farmers ease the cost pressures of maintaining production.
“With the company’s long-term commitment to the raw material sourcing area, farmers can feel more confident about investing in the care of their coconut plantations, maintaining quality, and continuing to build their livelihoods around coconut cultivation,” Hoang said.
Meeting needs
Alongside this support, AIG is providing farmers with technical guidance and cultivation practices to develop organic coconut growing areas, helping meet the standards of international markets and contributing to the implementation of Vinh Long’s coconut industry development programme.
Nguyen Thanh Binh, head of the Crop Production and Plant Protection Division under the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, said, “The company’s continued support for farmers in maintaining and expanding organic coconut growing areas will help improve agricultural product quality, contributing to the goal of building a green agricultural sector while creating greater value for the coconut industry and farmers’ livelihoods.”
Earlier, in May, AIG broke ground on the ACP2 facility in the Long Phuoc Industrial Cluster. This is the group’s second coconut processing plant in Vinh Long, covering nearly 60,000 square metres and costing nearly VND630 billion ($24.2 million).
Scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter of 2027, the complex is expected not only to strengthen AIG’s coconut processing capacity but also to support the expansion of its raw material sourcing areas on an industrial scale, contributing to Vinh Long’s vision of developing a billion-dollar coconut industry.
In particular, AIG has partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to provide advisory support on developing ESG standards and systems for emissions management and reporting at ACP2. This collaboration will help enhance operational standards in line with international sustainability practices, contribute to the sustainable development of Vinh Long’s coconut sourcing areas, and strengthen the position of Vietnam’s ingredients industry in international markets.
Alongside these initiatives, practical community programmes have also been stepped up. In August, ACP worked with local authorities to hand over the Kenh T2 rural bridge in Tan Hoa commune in Vinh Long. The 18-metre-long bridge connects two hamlets, providing a more convenient link between the communities and meeting the travel and agricultural goods transportation needs of nearly 7,000 locals.
Previously, AIG continued to sponsor the Food Innovation and Development competition, organised by the Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Food Science and Technology and the National Startup Support Centre.
This marks the third consecutive year that AIG has supported the competition, helping create an academic and practical environment where students can develop creative thinking and promote new ideas in food technology. The initiative also supports the development of talent for the food industry and promotes innovation in the sector.
AIG has also organised the fourth edition of its Asian Kite Scholarship programme, providing almost 400 scholarships worth a total of nearly VND1.4 billion ($53,800) to school and university students across the country who have achieved good academic results, demonstrated determination to overcome challenges, or come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Launched in 2023, the scholarship is a long-term initiative to support outstanding students who have overcome difficulties pursuing their studies. The programme is open to children and family members of AIG employees and those of its business partners.
As AIG marks 25 years of growth, the Group is continuing to strengthen its sustainable ecosystem and create long-term value, working towards a prosperous future while contributing to the development and wellbeing of the communities it serves.
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