Ripe coffee season at the foot of Pha Din Pass

Farmers of Quai To commune harvest ripe red coffee beans from the first orchard.

Taking us to visit the coffee gardens winding along the mountain slopes at the foot of the legendary Pha Din Pass, Mr. Vu A Minh, Secretary of the Che A Village Party Cell, said: This is the first coffee garden planted in the village, around 2009, when people bought seedlings from Muong Ang to plant.

At first, only a few families planted coffee in the village, but later almost every family planted from several thousand square meters to several dozen hectares. Up to now, the whole Che A village has 76 households planting more than 200 hectares of coffee trees. When they first planted the trees, the people in Che A village had no experience in planting, caring for, and harvesting, so the productivity was not high.

There were also several years when coffee prices were not good, so many people abandoned their gardens and did not take care of them. Some families destroyed their coffee trees to plant other trees, but the commune leaders came in to advise, analyze, and encourage people not to destroy the trees, so people listened and left their coffee trees.

Notably, in recent years when coffee prices have been stable, people in Che A village have proactively expanded new planting areas; actively cared for the harvested areas, so this coffee crop has a good harvest and good price. Sharing the joy of a good coffee harvest and good price, Mr. Mua A Do in Che A village said: In 2020, my family separated and officially planted coffee trees on a plot of land divided by my parents with an area of about 7 hectares.

After the 2024 coffee season, my family escaped poverty and after the harvest season, this year my family was able to build a new, spacious house. While harvesting coffee with the people on the coffee fields, Mr. Mua A Do quickly picked bunches of ripe coffee berries and talked and laughed happily. “Last year the price was 20,000 VND/kg of fresh berries, but this year it increased to 30,000 VND/kg.

With 4 hectares of garden in harvest, the family estimates that the whole crop will yield 20 tons of fruit, earning more than 500 million VND. After deducting expenses, the family will earn more than 300 million VND," Mr. Do added. Witnessing the joy and bright smiles on the faces of farmers who have worked tirelessly for months and days to cultivate each tree, Director of Pha Din Sung A Dia Coffee Cooperative said: In addition to harvesting and selling fruit, people in Hua Sa A, Hua Sa B and Che A villages also have more than 11 hectares with a total of 40,200 coffee trees recognized as parent trees, so their income will increase even more.

Because, if the garden is recognized as the parent tree, people can sow and grow seedlings to sell or sell seeds for breeding at a higher price. Thanks to the suitable altitude, cool climate all year round and fertile soil, Quai To coffee has a distinctive, rich, fragrant flavor, favored by the market. Currently, coffee products here are sought by many businesses inside and outside the province to purchase, process, expand the consumption network, gradually affirming the brand and value in the market.

As someone who understands the value of coffee trees and coffee farmers in Quai To after many "good harvest - low price" seasons, Mr. Sung A Dia, Director of Pha Din Coffee Cooperative, is also someone who understands the joy of the sweet fruit season of farmers at the foot of Pha Din Pass.

With the desire to increase the value and help coffee farmers increase their income, Mr. Sung A Dia has planned to invest in a modern processing line with a system of milling machines and dryers to ensure that the coffee beans meet quality standards. Director Sung A Dia added: Along with investing in a processing system, we will guide people to produce according to organic processes, controlling quality from planting, care to harvesting.

With such production, Quai To coffee will go far and have a solid position in the market! Mr. Nhu Duy Dong, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said: The entire Quai To commune currently has 1,635.18 hectares of coffee trees, of which 640.21 hectares are newly planted; mainly concentrated in villages such as: Che A, Hua Sa A, Hua Sa B, Hang Tau, Song Ia... Coffee trees have taken root and been attached to Quai To for more than 10 years and are now the main crop helping people here escape poverty and become rich sustainably.

Article and photos: LE LAN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/mua-ca-phe-chin-do-duoi-chan-deo-pha-din-post926664.html