The workshop was co-chaired by Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and Ms. Tran Quynh Chi, Director of Palm Oil and Coffee, IDH. Representatives of the European Union (EU), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the central government, departments and agencies of the Central Highlands provinces, associations and businesses in the coffee industry, domestic and international development organizations attended the ceremony and via online format.
The EU Deforestation and Forest Degradation Regulation (EUDR) issued by the EU in June 2023 has set strict requirements on information transparency, traceability and commitment to zero deforestation and zero forest degradation in the agricultural product supply chain including 7 product lines, including 3 key export product lines of Vietnam: coffee, wood and rubber. Compliance with the EUDR is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity for Vietnam's key agricultural export product lines to enhance their reputation, value and position in the international arena. For the coffee industry, one of the key solutions to comply with the EUDR is to build a complete, accurate and transparent Forest and Coffee Growing Area Database system.
Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) spoke at the handover ceremony.
Sharing at the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said: With the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the close coordination of the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dak Lak and Lam Dong provinces, the technical and financial support of international organizations such as IDH, and the active participation of businesses and farmers, the pilot program has completed important goals including the Forest Database System and EUDR-compliant coffee growing areas in 4 pilot districts. This is one of the effective tools for us to prove to international partners that Vietnamese coffee is a product unrelated to deforestation, meeting the requirements of EUDR; increasing the competitiveness of Vietnamese coffee in the international market. This database system not only meets EUDR regulations but is ready to expand to other industries such as rubber, pepper, durian, etc. This is also an important step in improving the efficiency of forest resource management and sustainable agricultural development.
By mobilizing available resources and data from various parties, including the public, private sectors and coffee growers, the Forest and Coffee Growing Area Database System was built in a cost-effective manner. The system provides a unified cadastral code for each garden and farmer, along with detailed information on the crops. As a result, the system achieves high synchronization and fully meets the requirements for information disclosure and traceability as prescribed by EUDR.
Ms. Tran Quynh Chi, Director of Coffee and Palm Oil Industry (IDH) spoke
According to Ms. Tran Quynh Chi, Director of Coffee and Palm Oil (IDH), the EUDR-compliant forest and coffee growing area database system is the result of more than 1 year of testing in Lam Dong and Dak Lak provinces. Of which, information and database have been collected for 130,000 hectares of forest and 136,000 hectares of coffee in the 4 largest coffee producing districts in Lam Dong and Dak Lak. Gia Lai province is the 3rd province to participate in the database collection project, combining the use of the national database system to continue collecting data for 30,000 hectares of forest and 4,000 hectares of coffee.
“IDH is proud to play a leading role in developing this database system, which is an important foundation in building a sustainable supply chain for the Vietnamese coffee industry. We call on stakeholders to not only continue to share and supplement data to build a complete national database system, updated annually, but also to take advantage of this database to evaluate and implement risk reduction strategies, proactively responding to new requirements from the international market such as low emissions, farmer prosperity and no deforestation,” Ms. Tran Quynh Chi shared.
In November 2024, the European Union announced its decision to postpone the implementation of the EUDR until December 2025. According to Ms. Mara Grimminger, Assistant for International Relations, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission, speaking at the ceremony, the launch of the Forest and Coffee Area Database System marks an important step towards EUDR compliance in Vietnam. The proposed extension is to ensure that industries and global partners, such as Vietnam, are fully prepared before the Regulation comes into force, facilitating a smooth and effective implementation process. This opportunity should be taken to prepare, implement concrete actions and effectively meet the requirements of the EUDR, paving the way for a sustainable future for the Vietnamese coffee industry.
The expansion phase from January 2025 will focus on piloting and replicating the coffee traceability system from farmers to district and provincial levels, while upgrading infrastructure, integrating information on growing areas and connecting to the national database of the crop sector managed and operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Activities will continue to be implemented through public-private partnerships between authorities at all levels, businesses, farmers and international organizations.
Mr. Kaj van de Vorstenbosch, Climate Change Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, commented that the effective implementation of the EUDR in Vietnam is important to ensure access to EU markets, including the Dutch market, while promoting sustainable and deforestation-free production. The development of this database is an important step in this process, providing an effective and comprehensive solution to support transparency, participation of smallholder farmers and low-cost responsiveness. With the close cooperation between the Netherlands and Vietnam in the agricultural sector, we, through the public-private partnership of organizations such as IDH, can promote meaningful progress, ensuring a sustainable future for the Vietnamese coffee industry.
At the ceremony, the EUDR Adaptation Cooperation Group officially handed over the Forest and Coffee Growing Area Database System to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for replication to other coffee producing areas and other affected industries across the country.
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