Japanese beverage maker Kirin Holdings is helping coffee farmers in Vietnam obtain a sustainability certification from an international NGO (Photos: Reuters) Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asia reportedthat the company is training farmers in sustainable production methods,including soil management, helping them obtain certification from aninternational accreditation organisation that promotes sustainable farming.
Kirin aims to extend support to farms in700 locations, double the current figure, by the end of the year.
The firm helps Vietnamese coffee growersget certification from the Rainforest Alliance, a US-based non-governmentalorganisation. To be certified, farmers must not only refrain from usingexcessive amounts of agrochemicals and work to protect biodiversity but alsoenhance production efficiency and quality, and improve conditions forfarmworkers.
Since last year, Kirin has supported 350Vietnamese coffee farms, helping growers conserve water, protect rivers frompollution and introduce better cultivation methods for areas with low sunlight.
Vietnam is the world's second-largestcoffee bean producer after Brazil. Vietnamese coffee represents about 30percent of the ingredients Kirin uses in its products.
Thanks to increased consumer awareness,sales of beans certified by the Rainforest Alliance grew sharply around theworld last year, rising 15 percent from the previous year./.
VNA
