Fearing falling prices, farmers compete to sell fresh coffee

Picking ripe coffee helps improve the quantity and quality of green coffee beans - Photo: N.TRI

For over a week now, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bien (Bu Gia Map, Binh Phuoc ) said she has sold more than 1 ton of fresh coffee at 20,500 - 21,000 VND/kg. According to Ms. Bien, the price is 4 times higher than previous years, so her family is picking quickly and selling early, instead of choosing to keep and dry them for processing like every year.

Similarly, Mr. Dinh Van Quyet (Gia Nghia, Dak Nong ) said he sold more than 4 tons of fresh coffee at 22,000 - 22,500 VND/kg, about 500 - 1,000 VND/kg cheaper than some regions, but his family still wanted to pick early and sell fresh.

Many agents in the Central Highlands region confirmed that because prices are much better than previous years, many gardeners are thinking of harvesting early to sell fresh. However, harvesting early results in a situation where the percentage of ripe fruit is not high.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online recently, Mr. Nguyen Nam Hai, Chairman of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (Vicofa), said that December is the main crop month, so the domestic coffee season is still long. Farmers choose to sell fresh early mainly due to the fear of price drops when the main crop season begins.

However, according to Mr. Hai, Vietnam is almost alone in the market because major coffee producing countries are not harvesting at this time, especially Brazil - the country providing the top output - will not have its crop until May or June next year. Not to mention, the amount of coffee in stock is not too much, while the world demand is good.

“In addition to supply and demand factors, coffee prices are affected by politics, financial investment, etc. However, if Vietnam regulates the sales volume moderately, not too much, coffee prices will probably remain at a good level. Even if prices decrease, it will be difficult to decrease deeply,” Mr. Hai commented.

Recently, coffee prices have skyrocketed, with a peak of over 135,000 VND/kg of beans. Recently, the price of this commodity has cooled down. However, with a production cost of over 30,000 VND/kg, many farmers say that the profit margin from coffee is very high.

According to Vicofa, due to the impact of drought and disease, Vietnam's coffee output this year is expected to reach about 1.5-1.6 million tons, a slight decrease compared to last year.

Should be harvested when coffee is ripe

Many experts recommend that although harvesting early to sell fresh, farmers should prioritize harvesting when the coffee is ripe, this helps increase the volume and quality of coffee beans, avoiding picking green berries which affects the brand and export.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lo-ngai-gia-giam-nong-dan-dua-nhau-ban-ca-phe-tuoi-20241110165327211.htm