Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Uganda held a dialogue in Hanoi on August 11 to promote sustainable coffee development within the South–South cooperation framework, focusing on climate resilience, forest protection, and quality and value addition across the coffee value chain.
The event brought together representatives of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, IDH organisation, international organisations, businesses and coffee value-chain partners of the two countries.
Speaking at the event, Pham Ngoc Mau, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said coffee plays an important role in both countries, involving millions of people in production and value chains. Beyond being an agricultural and trade commodity, coffee is closely linked to livelihoods, rural development and opportunities to raise farmers’ incomes.
However, he noted, the sector faces growing requirements related to climate change, resource efficiency, product quality and safety, traceability and increasingly stringent international market standards. These challenges require a shift towards more sustainable production and development models.
Mau noted that coffee value is generated not only on farms but also through science – technology, processing, branding, market development and linkages across the value chain. Vietnam is therefore increasingly focusing not only on productivity but also on quality, added value, sustainability and climate resilience.
According to the official, Vietnam has experience in developing production areas, organising coffee value chains, processing, raising product value and expanding markets. Meanwhile, Uganda has its own strengths, potential and development priorities. Given this, the two sides should focus on sharing experience and identifying measures suited to each country’s conditions rather than seeking a single model applied to both.
Ugandan Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Frank K. Tumwebaze said coffee is essential to the livelihoods of millions of Ugandan farmers. Their future depends on the balance of productivity, sustainability and resilience.
Cooperation with Vietnam and IDH will offer Uganda a chance to learn from its partners while advancing a resilient and deforestation-free coffee sector, he added.
Daan Wensing, CEO of IDH, said sustainable transformation in the coffee industry cannot be achieved through isolated efforts. Cooperation and co-investment are essential to securing sustainable coffee supplies amid climate pressures and rising market requirements.
The dialogue also marked the first expression of intent by the two governments to cooperate, with IDH support, in developing a sustainable, climate-resilient and deforestation-free coffee sector. It represents a new step in South–South cooperation between two leading Robusta coffee producers.
By combining the experience, strengths and resources of the two sides, Vietnam–Uganda cooperation is expected to help build sustainable and resilient coffee value chains while creating long-term value for producers, businesses and markets.
At the event, IDH also officially launched the Resilient Coffee Programme (RCP) in Vietnam. With Germany’s ALDI SÜD as the pioneering investor, the programme aims to develop a verifiable supply of regenerative Robusta coffee in the next four years. It targets about 75,000 coffee farmers, with 70% of participating households expected to adopt regenerative farming practices, helping reduce 240,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and raise farmers’ incomes by 15%.
Results will be transparently reported through measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), traceability and co-claiming mechanisms, contributing to forming a climate-resilient Robusta coffee supply chain that meets increasingly demanding international market requirements./.
VNA
