Once having nearly 10,000 hectares, why did the cocoa area of Ben Tre province disappear from the map of Vietnam?

This information was shared at the ASEAN Cocoa Club Annual Conference hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province on October 9. Dr. Nguyen Viet Khoa, Vietnam Cocoa Coordination Board, said that in 2012, Vietnam's cocoa area reached 25,700 hectares. By 2023, Vietnam's cocoa area will decrease to 3,471 hectares. Of which, the cocoa area for harvest is 2,836 hectares; the output is 4,786 tons of dry beans, the yield is 16.9 quintals of dry beans/ha. The Central Highlands is the largest concentrated production area in the country with 1,674 hectares, the output is 2,038 tons; accounting for 48% of the area and 43% of the output. The Southeast region has an area of 1,380 hectares, the output is 2,291 tons; accounting for 40% of the area and 48% of the country's output. The Mekong Delta has an area of 399ha, an output of 453 tons; accounting for 11% of the area and 9% of the country's output. According to Dr. Khoa, in recent years, cocoa ...