Leading scientists and experts in the coffee industry gathered to discuss measures for sustainable development of the sector at a seminar held in the Central Highlands city of Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak, on March 13.

The event was coorganised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association.

A number of policies and technical measures were proposed at the event with the aim to heighten Vietnamese coffee’s brand and its competitive capacity in the world market.

With over 540,000 ha of coffee, which yield over one million tonnes of coffee beans each year, Vietnam has become the world’s second largest coffee exporter and the largest exporter of robusta coffee .

The industry contributes about 2 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), generates income for 540,000 households with 1.6 million labourers.

However, Vietnam ’s coffee sector is still a long way from stable growth due to farmers’ lack of attention to farming techniques. The acreage of coffee qualified for sustainable development accounts for only 10 percent of the country’s total coffee acreage, and the domestic coffee trading system has many problems.

In addition, the coffee production is forecast to be affected by adverse impacts of climate change as well as the financial and economic downturn./.