Vietnam ranks second in the world in Robusta coffee production, exporting about 1.5 million tons annually, accounting for about 18% of the world's total coffee exports and 43% of the total global Robusta coffee exports.
The quality and flavor of Vietnamese Robusta coffee are considered delicious, diverse and distinct. However, the Vietnamese Robusta coffee brand has not yet spread widely to consumers around the world.
Recently, in Buon Ma Thuot ward, Dak Lak province, the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (VICOFA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) signed a cooperation agreement to promote the Robusta coffee brand and Vietnamese specialty coffee globally.
Enhancing the value of Robusta coffee
VICOFA Chairman Nguyen Nam Hai said that up to now, the total coffee area in the country is about 730 thousand hectares, of which 95% is Robusta coffee. Every year, Vietnam exports about 1.5 million tons, accounting for about 85% of the total domestic coffee output. Europe is the largest market, accounting for nearly 50% of Vietnam's total coffee export output, of which the 27 European Union (EU) countries account for nearly 40%, followed by Japan, the US, etc.
Of Vietnam's total annual coffee exports, more than 91% are green coffee beans, the rest are used to make instant and roasted coffee. This is the main reason why Vietnam ranks second in coffee export output and first in Robusta coffee export, but consumers around the world hardly know about Vietnamese coffee. On the other hand, among the instant and roasted coffee exporting enterprises, more than 81% are FDI enterprises; among Vietnamese enterprises other than Trung Nguyen, L'amant, Intimex, very few have brands of roasted and instant coffee for export.
According to Mr. Hai, although there are many advantages, the added value and brand image of Vietnam Robusta coffee are not commensurate with the current potential. Therefore, within the framework of the recent working trip of the Vietnamese business delegation to the US, VICOFA proposed that TPP have a project to promote the Vietnamese coffee brand globally as TPP did for Guatemala.
Dak Lak currently has about 213 thousand hectares of coffee, with an annual output of about 545 thousand tons. Over the years, the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee has always been a pioneer in implementing programs to develop high-quality coffee, sustainable replanting and enhance the value of the supply chain. Since 2008, the province has implemented many important projects; in particular, Dak Lak's growing area has achieved the world's first EU 4C-EUDR certification for non-deforestation products and has now digitized 35% of the province's coffee area.
Vice Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thien Van said that since 2005, the province has organized the national Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival every two years, attracting hundreds of thousands of domestic and international visitors. To date, the geographical indication of Buon Ma Thuot coffee has been protected in 32 countries and territories around the world.
To develop the coffee brand and value, Dak Lak has issued a project to build Buon Ma Thuot into a "World Coffee City", offering many preferential policies on taxes and land use fees to attract investors in the coffee sector to Dak Lak. Within the framework of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival in 2019, the province organized the first specialty coffee competition in Vietnam - Vietnam Amazing Cup. Up to now, the competition has gone through seven very successful seasons; many award-winning products continue to participate and achieve high results in international competitions, many samples were awarded Fine Robusta by the International Coffee Quality Institute with more than 87 points, contributing to affirming the position of Vietnamese coffee in the world market.
Elevating Vietnamese coffee brand
According to the Chairman of VICOFA, in the face of increasingly strict regulations from importing countries, especially the EU's anti-deforestation and forest degradation regulations and the increasing demand of consumers around the world, Vietnam's coffee export activities face many challenges. Therefore, VICOFA's orientation for the Vietnamese coffee industry in the coming years is to develop production towards ecological agriculture, green economy, circulation and establish green standards associated with traceability, geographical indications and carbon credits to enhance the brand of Vietnamese coffee.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has approved the project to develop Vietnamese specialty coffee to increase the area and output of specialty coffee, support and build brands, expand markets and improve product quality. The goal is to develop 19,000 hectares of specialty coffee by 2030, with an output of 11,000 tons. However, there is currently no official data on the total area and output of Vietnamese specialty coffee. According to the general assessment, the potential of Vietnam's specialty coffee is huge and the demand of young people and young businesses interested in specialty coffee is increasing.
In particular, Dak Lak is the leading locality in building geographical indications for Buon Ma Thuot coffee and gradually developing specialty coffee. Chairman of Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association Trinh Duc Minh said that in the coming time, based on the orientation for coffee industry development in the period 2025-2030, the Association will propose and contribute ideas to perfecting mechanisms and policies on regenerative agriculture, reducing emissions, meeting EUDR regulations; promoting production and trading of coffee with Buon Ma Thuot geographical indication certification, sustainable coffee, specialty coffee and deep-processed coffee, at the same time applying industry 4.0, enhancing traceability, and quality monitoring; Encourage members to apply the circular economic model, contributing to realizing the sustainable coffee development project with a vision to 2030 of Dak Lak province and the project to develop Vietnamese specialty coffee in the period 2021-2030.
To continue to strongly promote the quality, brand and value of the Vietnamese coffee industry on the world map, Dak Lak province is committed to accompanying all parties in developing the specialty coffee value chain, from varieties, cultivation, processing to roasting and brewing. Vice Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thien Van expects: "With the global knowledge connection from the World Specialty Coffee Organization and the leading role of VICOFA, we believe that Vietnam will become a destination for Robusta lovers around the world and the Buon Ma Thuot coffee brand will become a national brand for Vietnamese specialty coffee".
Source: https://baolamdong.vn/lan-toa-thuong-hieu-ca-phe-robusta-405727.html
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