Coffee seed quality management

Comrade Nguyen Thanh Cong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, inspected the quality of coffee seedlings in Muong Sai commune, Song Ma district.

Arabica coffee has been grown in Son La since the 1990s. To date, the province has about 24,300 hectares, with an estimated output of 37,724 tons in 2025. However, many areas are old, productivity has decreased, and need to be replanted or replanted. To meet the demand for coffee seedlings, research and seed production facilities in the province have proactively developed new varieties suitable for local climate and soil conditions.

The Northwest Agriculture and Forestry Research and Development Center, Chieng Ban Commune, Mai Son District, is one of the major coffee seed suppliers in the province. In addition to the traditional method of sowing from parent seeds, the Center is testing propagation by cuttings, a new direction that brings many prospects. Mr. Nguyen Quang Trung, Deputy Director of the Center, said: Coffee propagated by cuttings grows faster and bears fruit earlier than sowing seeds, with productivity nearly double after two years. Each year, the Center supplies about 900,000 seedlings and high-quality seeds to nurseries in the region, while transferring techniques to ensure satellite nurseries meet standards. Currently, the coffee seed market is highly competitive, and people are very concerned about origin, quality and price. To provide breeds with high survival rate, good growth, reasonable price, our facility always imports embryos from reputable addresses, clear origin and recognized by competent authorities.

In addition to state agencies, many cooperatives actively supply high-quality seedlings. A typical example is Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative in Son La City, which annually supplies about 300,000 seedlings, not only for the provincial market but also for export to northern mountainous provinces such as Lao Cai, Yen Bai, and Lai Chau .

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thao, Director of the Cooperative, said: The Cooperative uses THA1 variety from Eakmart Seed Center, a variety suitable for the Northwest conditions, with high productivity and quality. The incubation process lasts 6-7 months, the plants meet the standards when they are at least 15 cm tall, 0.3 mm in diameter at the base, straight, and free of pests and diseases. Before leaving the garden, the plants are trained to get used to sunlight to avoid growth shock.

Officers of the provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection check the quality of coffee seedlings in Bo village, Chieng An ward, City.

Buying nearly 2,000 coffee seedlings at the Northwest Agriculture and Forestry Research and Development Center to prepare for the new planting season, Ms. Ca Thi Noi, Bo village, Chieng An ward, City, shared: In my opinion, good quality seedlings help increase survival rate, adapt to climate and soil, shorten growth time, and increase productivity. In the same land, but if using seeds with clear origin and high quality, it will give outstanding results.

Ms. Pham Thi Lan, Deputy Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, Department of Agriculture and Environment, affirmed: Seed is the first step but also the key step that directly determines productivity and adaptability, thereby increasing product value and income for farmers.

Currently, Son La province has built 1 mother tree garden of TN2 Arabica coffee variety, exploiting 10,500 buds/year; 2 Catimor SLa coffee seed gardens, providing 4,000 kg of seeds/year. In addition, 5,000 Catimor SLa mother trees have been recognized, yielding 7,650 kg of seeds/year. The provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection also coordinated with GIZ (Germany) to build a 2-hectare mother tree garden in Chieng Co commune, Son La city with TN1 and TN2 varieties, which are popular thanks to their high yield and good quality. Two cooperatives in key areas, Quyet Thang Cooperative, Mai Son district and Thuan Son Cooperative, Thuan Chau district, were supported to build a nursery garden with a scale of 100,000 trees/year, creating a foundation for developing high-quality coffee varieties on the spot. Thanks to ensuring good seed sources, the whole province has replanted 1,203.7 hectares; grafting and renovating 1,614.3 hectares.

Farmers in Chieng Ban commune, Mai Son district, take care of newly planted coffee areas.

Our province aims to have about 25,000 hectares of coffee by 2030, with an estimated output of 40,000 tons of coffee beans. 80-90% of newly planted coffee areas use standard varieties; 5,950 hectares of specialty coffee; developing coffee material areas that meet sustainable standards to reach 18,000 hectares; forming and developing 5 or more high-tech coffee areas.

To achieve the set goals, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is synchronously implementing solutions to disseminate laws and provide technical guidance on coffee seed production. The entire coffee area due for replanting is being reviewed and planned for each district. At the same time, the local authorities are coordinating with the government to strictly control the seed source, ensuring clear origin and quality standards. Production is also oriented towards environmental friendliness, meeting international standards, especially the regulations of the European market on forest protection.

Coffee is not only the main crop of Son La, but also the livelihood of tens of thousands of farming households. Strict management of coffee varieties from research, production to use is the foundation for improving productivity and quality. From there, expanding the market, gradually bringing the Son La coffee brand to the map of Vietnamese and international agricultural products.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/kinh-te/quan-ly-chat-luong-giong-cay-ca-phe-HyqgVHENR.html