Gia Lai province seeks ways to raise value of coffee

Gia Lai (VNA) - Coffee is one of the key agricultural products of the Central Highlands in general and Gia Lai province in particular, but Gia Lai coffee has not been able to earn a brand name on par with its value.

To raise the value of Gia Lai coffee, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has launched a project on developing high-quality coffee for the 2021-2030 period, which aims at satisfying the growing demand for specialty coffee in domestic and export markets while improving added value and competitiveness of Vietnamese coffee products in the world market.

Gia Lai is one of two localities in the Central Highlands to be benefited from the project. Accordingly, the investment would be poured into helping cooperatives develop coffee growing areas with the participation of six cooperatives. Nearly 12km of roads connecting coffee-growing areas with processing facilities will be upgraded. The project will also invest in establishing three farming areas of high-quality coffee with a quantity of 1,300 tonnes.

Tran Quoc Hung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ia Tiem Agricultural Service Cooperative in Chu Se district said when taking part in the high-quality coffee project, farmers will gain benefits as the value of coffee exports will be enhanced and the price of the product is also higher than normal. Therefore, the project is being strongly supported by farmers and the role of cooperatives has also been strengthened.

To produce standard and qualified coffee products, cooperatives should focus on persuading farmers to improve their farming, harvesting and processing methods in a modern direction, Hung said.

Thai Nhu Hiep, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of Vinh Hiep Co. Ltd said it is necessary for Vietnamese businesses to be proactive in forming an alliance with others as well as expanding connectivity between regions to develop qualified products with synchronised processes.

Le Van Hien, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Agricultural Project Management Board, said that cooperatives should change their organisational structure, production methods and approaches, particularly focusing on fulfilling the criteria set forth by the associated enterprises to ensure the project's objective.

With a total area of nearly 100,000 hectares, Gia Lai is the fourth largest coffee-growing locality in the country. The province's Robusta coffee products are highly appreciated by experts for their distinctive flavour. The launch of the project to develop high-quality coffee for the 2021-2030 period of the MARD is expected to create a breakthrough in raising the value of Gia Lai coffee to a higher level and stabilising exports through the Free Trade Agreement signed between Vietnam and the European Union./.