Vietnam is targeting to apply sustainable production methods on300,000ha of coffee by 2015, delegates has told a forum in Ho Chi MinhCity.
Pham Dong Quang, deputy general director ofthe Department of Crop Production, said on December 4 that Vietnam'scoffee area expanded strongly, reaching 620,000ha last year.
Coffee is important to the country as it is the second largestagricultural export product in value after rice and offers a living for 3million farmers.
Vietnam is the second-largestcoffee producer in the world and the first for Robusta coffee, withyields being the highest in the world.
However, the coffee sector faces challenges, threatening its sustainable development.
They include poor techniques of farming, harvesting, processing,post-harvesting and preservation, a high proportion of old coffee areas,improper use of fertilisers and pesticides and wasteful use ofirrigation water.
In response to the growingsustainable coffee consumption of the global market, the sector needsreforms to produce more sustainably sourced coffee, he said.
The Sustainable Coffee Programme began in Vietnam last year as a public-private cooperation.
Sustainable coffee production is a critical requirement to improvefarming capacity, reduce input costs and increase value for farmers, theforum heard.
About 200,000ha was awardedcertification under sustainable standards, of which 150,000ha meets 4C(Common Code for Coffee Community) standard, the department said.
The department is establishing a project to develop the coffee sectorin a sustainable manner, with a focus on increasing product value.
Under the project, about 300,000ha of coffee plantation areas willapply sustainable production by 2015, and 480,000ha by 2020.
The project also targets increasing the processing rate, replanting areas and farmers' incomes, it said.
Nguyen Tan Trung, representative for farmers in Di Linh district ofthe Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, the second largest coffeeproducer in Vietnam, said about 40,000ha of coffee in the province wascertified sustainable coffee production in accordance with 4C, UTZ andRFA.
Trung said SCP brings benefits for farmers,enabling them to approach the way of proper fertiliser application,integrated pest management, proper irrigation, proper soil management,harvesting of ripe coffee cherries and new drying techniques,contributing to raising coffee quality.
However, he and other delegates agreed that there are many difficulties in implementing the programme.
Do Ha Nam, general director of Intimex Group and deputy chairman ofthe Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, said with the objective todevelop coffee sector toward sustainability, the company last year beganto implement two 4C sustainable coffee projects in Central Highlandprovinces.
Since many coffee growers are ethnicminorities, their awareness is still limited, making it difficult forthe company to train farmers with good farming and management practicesin compliance with the 4C code of conduct, adding that scatteringplantation areas have led to high investment costs.
"It is not easy to change the practices of farmers. It requires a lot of time and cost," he said.
Trung said "local collectors did not fully satisfy the criteria oftraceability". With economic benefits from the premium paid forcertified coffee, they sometimes mixed certified coffee beans withnon-certified ones, he said.
"Some collectors did not pay the premium to farmers," he said. As a result, many farmers did not comply with the criteria.
In reality, many coffee exporters organised technical training forfarmers to standardise their documents for official audits, he said.
He said that companies and agencies should organise training on thecode for farmers who participate in the certified coffee programmesevery year.
They should limit the number of farmers in each course to about 70-100 farmers to make the course more efficient.
Strengthening independent audits for certified units, especiallyattaching more importance to the criteria of traceability, is alsoneeded, he said.-VNA
Pham Dong Quang, deputy general director ofthe Department of Crop Production, said on December 4 that Vietnam'scoffee area expanded strongly, reaching 620,000ha last year.
Coffee is important to the country as it is the second largestagricultural export product in value after rice and offers a living for 3million farmers.
Vietnam is the second-largestcoffee producer in the world and the first for Robusta coffee, withyields being the highest in the world.
However, the coffee sector faces challenges, threatening its sustainable development.
They include poor techniques of farming, harvesting, processing,post-harvesting and preservation, a high proportion of old coffee areas,improper use of fertilisers and pesticides and wasteful use ofirrigation water.
In response to the growingsustainable coffee consumption of the global market, the sector needsreforms to produce more sustainably sourced coffee, he said.
The Sustainable Coffee Programme began in Vietnam last year as a public-private cooperation.
Sustainable coffee production is a critical requirement to improvefarming capacity, reduce input costs and increase value for farmers, theforum heard.
About 200,000ha was awardedcertification under sustainable standards, of which 150,000ha meets 4C(Common Code for Coffee Community) standard, the department said.
The department is establishing a project to develop the coffee sectorin a sustainable manner, with a focus on increasing product value.
Under the project, about 300,000ha of coffee plantation areas willapply sustainable production by 2015, and 480,000ha by 2020.
The project also targets increasing the processing rate, replanting areas and farmers' incomes, it said.
Nguyen Tan Trung, representative for farmers in Di Linh district ofthe Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, the second largest coffeeproducer in Vietnam, said about 40,000ha of coffee in the province wascertified sustainable coffee production in accordance with 4C, UTZ andRFA.
Trung said SCP brings benefits for farmers,enabling them to approach the way of proper fertiliser application,integrated pest management, proper irrigation, proper soil management,harvesting of ripe coffee cherries and new drying techniques,contributing to raising coffee quality.
However, he and other delegates agreed that there are many difficulties in implementing the programme.
Do Ha Nam, general director of Intimex Group and deputy chairman ofthe Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, said with the objective todevelop coffee sector toward sustainability, the company last year beganto implement two 4C sustainable coffee projects in Central Highlandprovinces.
Since many coffee growers are ethnicminorities, their awareness is still limited, making it difficult forthe company to train farmers with good farming and management practicesin compliance with the 4C code of conduct, adding that scatteringplantation areas have led to high investment costs.
"It is not easy to change the practices of farmers. It requires a lot of time and cost," he said.
Trung said "local collectors did not fully satisfy the criteria oftraceability". With economic benefits from the premium paid forcertified coffee, they sometimes mixed certified coffee beans withnon-certified ones, he said.
"Some collectors did not pay the premium to farmers," he said. As a result, many farmers did not comply with the criteria.
In reality, many coffee exporters organised technical training forfarmers to standardise their documents for official audits, he said.
He said that companies and agencies should organise training on thecode for farmers who participate in the certified coffee programmesevery year.
They should limit the number of farmers in each course to about 70-100 farmers to make the course more efficient.
Strengthening independent audits for certified units, especiallyattaching more importance to the criteria of traceability, is alsoneeded, he said.-VNA
