The Central Highlands is considered a key region of coffee nationwide with Dak Lak making up more than 40 percent in the region and 30 percent in the country (Photo: VNA) Dak Lak (VNA) – Central Highland provinces are expanding the cultivation of long-term industrial crops to promote socio-economic development and improve the living standards of ethnic minority people.
Statistics showed that the region has 1.12 million hectares of long-term industrial plants, making up more than 53 percent of total crop growing area, including 582,149 hectares of coffee, 251,348 hectares of rubber and 85,000 hectares of pepper.
Dak Lak accounts for nearly 29 percent of the region’s long-term industrial crop area, followed by Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Dak Nong and Kon Tum.
The Central Highlands is considered a key region of coffee nationwide with Dak Lak making up more than 40 percent in the region and 30 percent in the country.
Annually, the province harvests about 450,000 tonne of coffee or more. Coffee also accounts for 86 percent of the total export turnover of farm produce, contributing more than 20 percent to the local budget.
The coffee industry in Dak Lak has generated jobs for hundreds of thousands of local workers.
However, the development of coffee and pepper has led to overexploitation of land and water resources and the abuse of fertilisers and pesticides, threatening the sustainable development of long-term industrial crops.
The high production cost of key farm produce such as coffee, pepper, rubber and cashew makes the products uncompetitive.
At present, Central Highland provinces are building a planning scheme to improve the quality of products and ensure the sustainable development of industrial crops.
By 2020, the provinces aim to zone off 530,000 hectares of coffee. Dak Lak will reduce the area to 190,000 hectares, Lam Dong 150,000 hectares, Dak Nong 115,000 hectares and Gia Lai 75,000 hectares.
The localities will adopt intensive farming to ensure annual output of 1.2 – 1.3 million tonnes of coffee.
They will also call for investment to build processing factories for export staples like coffee, pepper, rubber, cashew nut and tea while enabling businesses to seek partners and expand export markets.-VNA
VNA
