Dak Ha powdered coffee of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum became the first of its kind in Vietnam to receive its certification from the Netherlands-based UTZ Certified, an organisation fostering sustainable farming in the world, on January 22 .

After seven years of building its brand name, Dak Ha coffee has been listed among the top 500 products and services of the country and top 20 quality Vietnamese products that are beneficial for public health.

In meeting the quality standards required by the organisation, Dak Ha district encouraged coffee growers and businesses to replace out-of-date coffee production processes with clean technologies that satisfy the Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C) standards applied in Europe.

Internationally-standardised production processes and equipment were put into operation without harming the surrounding environment or health of both labourers and consumers.

In 2013, Dak Ha coffee producers provided 25 tonnes of products for the market. They plan to sell 40 tonnes this year and 100 tonnes by 2016.

Joining the UTZ Certified programme, coffee growers in Dak Ha can reduce total farming costs by 5-7 percent, increase their production by 5-7 percent, and sell their products at 30 USD per tonne, higher than the current price.-VNA