Dak Lak: Coffee output continues dropping

Dak Lak (VNA) – Coffee bean output in the 2015-16 crop in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak is likely to reach 440,000 tonnes, a decrease of 14,000 tonnes from the last crop, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

This is the second consecutive crop that faces a drop in output.

Severe droughts have hurt the production as nearly 48,000 hectares of coffee plants suffered from water shortages.A large area of ageing coffee plants is another reason.

According to a plan targeted for the 2015-16 crop, the province will ship abroad about 250,000 tonnes of coffee beans, up nearly 83, 000 tonnes against the last crop.

It is currently focusing on raising farmers’ awareness of sustainable coffee production and implementing the correct production processes to ensure high capacity and quality.

Meanwhile, enterprises are encouraged to expand export markets and promote business cooperation with domestic and international partners.

Dak Lak, the country’s largest coffee cultivation zone , is now home to more than 200,000 hectares of coffee.

Vietnam currently has 671,000 hectares of coffee, making it one of the major hard currency earners.

In 2014, the country raked in 3.55 billion USD from coffee exports.-VNA