Coffee "bandits" are rampant, farmers are heartbroken because their crops are being destroyed.

On the morning of October 26, Mr. Bon Nieng Ha Kra (residing in Lieng Srônh village, Dam Rong 2 commune, Lam Dong province) visited his plantation and discovered that dozens of coffee trees had had their branches cut by thieves and gathered in one place to prepare to strip the fruit.

Dozens of coffee trees of Mr. Bon Nieng Ha Kra's family had their branches cut by thieves.

According to Mr. Bon Nieng Ha Kra, his family’s coffee garden has large, even berries, and is about 50% ripe. The family planned to harvest in November. However, before they could harvest, the coffee was stolen.

“The group of coffee thieves consisted of about 3-4 people. They did not pick each tree but broke off branches, then gathered in one place to strip the fruit. When they discovered the plantation owner, they left the coffee behind and ran away,” said Mr. Bon Nieng Ha Kra.

The photo of Mr. Bon Nieng Ha Kra's family coffee shop received many interactions from social network users (Screenshot)

Heartbroken by the destruction of his coffee garden, Mr. Bon Nieng Ha Kra’s family posted the image on social media. The post received interactions from thousands of people, most of whom expressed outrage at the vandalism and theft of property.

“Stealing fruit has already caused damage to people. Cutting branches like this is really dangerous. It takes years of care to get this tree like this, but all the branches are cut off. What will people have to harvest later?” commented a social media user.

Below the article, many people also asked the local authorities to take drastic measures soon to prevent coffee vandalism.

Two coffee gardens of Mr. Nguyen Thuan Phat's family were also destroyed.

Last weekend, Nguyen Thuan Phat’s coffee plantation in Kien Duc commune (Lam Dong) was also robbed. Dozens of coffee trees were stripped of all their fruit, both ripe and green. Many trees had their branches cut off without mercy.

Mr. Phat said that because he had not harvested yet, he only visited the garden once or twice a week. On the morning of October 27, when he visited the garden, he discovered that the coffee garden had been robbed.

“My coffee plantation in Quang Tin commune is nearly 6 years old, growing well and bearing fruit. After inspection, the thieves chose good trees with lots of fruit to cut branches, estimated damage of nearly 400kg of coffee.”

Mr. Phat added indignantly: “Another coffee garden of his family in Kien Duc commune was also stolen. The trees whose branches were cut will take 2-3 years to recover.”

According to records, coffee prices at the beginning of the 2025 crop are higher than the same period last year. Coffee theft has appeared in many localities, especially as the harvest season approaches.

In recent days, on social networks, there have been continuous posts warning about the tricks of “coffee thieves”. Many farmers expressed their insecurity when the thieves not only steal coffee, but also destroy and cut branches, affecting the growth of the trees.

In addition to reporting to local authorities, garden owners also shared suspect identification features and suspicious vehicle license plates to assist police in their search.

Some groups have even established their own "coffee patrol teams", taking turns guarding and protecting agricultural products during harvest time.

Farmers heartbroken as coffee destroyed before harvest time

Recently, Lam Dong Provincial Police have requested the grassroots police force to strengthen the fight against crimes and law violations related to the 2025-2026 agricultural crop season.

Lam Dong Provincial Police Department assigned specific tasks to units and localities to proactively deploy synchronous forces and means to fight and suppress all types of crimes related to the crop season.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/ca-phe-tac-long-hanh-nong-dan-dau-xot-vi-cay-trong-bi-cat-pha-398896.html