Producers advised to enhance coffee quality, competitiveness

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Vietnam exported 1.36 million tons of coffee for 3.5 billion USD in the first 11 months of this year, a 3.4% increase year on year.

However, export volume has decreased in the last two months, owing mostly to low stocks.

Vietnam has the world's sixth-largest coffee cultivation area but the second-greatest production due to strong yields. However, despite the fact that Vietnam is beginning a new harvesting season, supply is decreasing, causing prices to rise.

According to Do Ha Nam, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Coffee-Cocoa Association (Vicofa), coffee prices would rise further if growers focus more on improving the quality of the coffee. He recommended farmers to focus on the harvesting stage and maintain the traceability of their goods in order to fulfill export regulations, particularly in the European market, which is Vietnam's biggest market.

Nam observed that just 185,000 hectares of the country's 720,000 hectares of coffee had earned various types of sustainable production certifications, accounting for only a tiny portion of the entire area.

He emphasized the need of managing agricultural areas and farming area codes in order to minimize breaches of anti-deforestation legislation.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Quang Binh, Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam Coffee Magazine, said that in order to maintain steady selling prices, Vietnamese coffee must match the needs of consumers, particularly those in Europe, where numerous new import laws have been implemented.

Source: Vietnamplus