Dak Lak coffee industry: The problem of 'thirst' for high-quality human resources

DNVN - Dak Lak, the coffee capital of Vietnam, is facing a paradox: It leads the country in coffee production but has a serious shortage of qualified and skilled human resources. This is considered a major bottleneck hindering the sustainable development of the entire industry in the context of deep integration and global competition.

Worrying human resource gap

With over 214,000 hectares, accounting for 30% of the country’s coffee area, Dak Lak plays the role of “capital” of coffee. However, the current production base still relies mainly on small-scale farmers, cultivating based on traditional experience. This force is industrious and attached to coffee trees, but increasingly reveals many limitations when the market demands high quality and added value.

There is a serious shortage of human resources for coffee roasting. Photo: Dak Lak Newspaper.

Mr. Trinh Duc Minh, Chairman of Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association, told Dak Lak Newspaper: "We have a relatively abundant human resource with a foundation of general practical knowledge. However, the worrying reality is that the workforce in coffee gardens is getting older, having difficulty accessing science and technology; while the young generation with qualifications and dynamism is no longer interested in hard work and unstable income. This leads to a shortage of high-quality human resources not only in the production stage but also spreading throughout the entire value chain, creating a large gap that hinders development."

Notably, the “phase difference” in training makes the human resource gap even more obvious. While farmers are quickly popularized with sustainable farming processes, in the processing stage, the industry is seriously lacking in experts and technicians capable of operating modern machinery, developing products, or marketing experts to build brands.

Mr. Le Dinh Tu, Director of Minudo Farm-care Company Limited, told Dak Lak Newspaper: Deep processing is identified as the key to increasing the value of Vietnamese coffee beans, shifting from raw exports to branded products. However, the staff from modern machine operators, tasters, to product development staff... are all in short supply.

The problem of building a human resource ecosystem

Not only lacking in processing human resources, many coffee enterprises and cooperatives also have difficulty finding workers who are properly trained in management and digital technology application in the entire value chain - from production, processing to consumption. Therefore, cooperation with universities and research institutes to train human resources with both expertise and practical skills is becoming an urgent requirement.

According to Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association, if only raw material exports are stopped, the coffee industry's profits will not be high. To change, in addition to good farmers, the industry needs more technicians, processing experts, market developers, etc. However, currently, specialized training courses on roasting, sensory, and processing are only organized by a few private units with high costs and difficult access.

In that context, building specialized coffee training centers closely linked to production practices is considered a strategic step, creating a sustainable human resource foundation.

Trainees attend a high-quality coffee processing training course organized by the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association. Photo: Dak Lak Newspaper.

Expectations from the new policy

Recently, the People's Committee of Dak Lak province issued a Plan for agricultural vocational training for rural workers in 2025, aiming to form a team of professional farmers and train high-quality human resources to serve smart, organic and digital agriculture.

In particular, the vocational training program for agricultural cooperative directors is expected to help improve management capacity and connect markets effectively. This is considered a concrete step, contributing to removing bottlenecks in human resources, creating motivation for the Dak Lak coffee industry to not only maintain its position as the capital but also reach international standards.

Nhu Y (According to Dak Lak Newspaper)

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/kinh-te/nganh-hang-ca-phe-dak-lak-bai-toan-khat-nhan-luc-chat-luong-cao/20250917024545819