THA1 - promising coffee variety

Superior quality

Mr. Le Huu Hiep in Phung Lam village, Huong Phung commune said that his family has had 2 hectares of coffee planted since 2001, using the Catimor variety. After more than 20 years of cultivation, the garden has degenerated, productivity has decreased sharply and is susceptible to pests and diseases. In 2022, he decided to replant the entire area with the THA1 coffee variety. Currently, about 1.1 hectares, equivalent to 4,000 trees, have begun to yield early harvest, with an average yield of about 2 kg of fresh fruit per tree, surpassing the Catimor coffee variety (only about 1-1.5 kg of fresh fruit per tree). With the purchase price from the agent of about 24,000 VND/kg, after deducting expenses, he earned more than 100 million VND.

According to Mr. Hiep, the advantages of the THA1 coffee variety are even branching, compact canopy, large fruit, many fruits, large fruit size and good resistance to pests and diseases, especially leaf spot and planthopper. "In my opinion, the THA1 coffee variety is completely suitable for Huong Phung land," Mr. Hiep affirmed.

Mr. Le Huu Hiep (right), Phung Lam village, Huong Phung commune, harvests THA1 coffee variety - Photo: LA

As one of the earliest households to convert to the THA1 variety in Huong Phung commune, Mr. Nguyen Duy Phuong is currently harvesting about 1.5 hectares with an average yield of 6.5-7 kg of fresh fruit/tree, equivalent to more than 25 tons/ha. Talking to us, Mr. Phuong said that in order to replace the Catimor coffee variety that had degenerated, had small fruits, and was infested with pests and diseases, in 2020, he "traveled" to the Western Highlands Agricultural and Forestry Science Institute (WASI) to "see with his own eyes and touch with his own hands" the THA1 coffee variety before planting it.

According to Mr. Phuong, through actual production, the THA1 variety has outstanding advantages over Catimor, an Arabica coffee variety that has been widely grown locally for many years, such as: good growth, rust resistance, compact canopy, suitable for intensive farming, planting density from 3,500-3,700 trees/ha. Most notably, in addition to 1.5-2 times higher yield, the THA1 variety also provides superior quality and bean size, the proportion of size 18 beans of THA1 is very high, up to 70%-80%, long and slender beans, sharp mid-groove. Meanwhile, Catimor mainly produces size 16 beans, the proportion of size 18 is low. This is an important factor that helps increase commercial value and meet the needs of the high-quality coffee segment.

“At the 2025 Vietnam Specialty Coffee Competition, the coffee product from my THA1 garden, processed using the Natural fermentation method in the fruit, was certified as a specialty coffee with a score of 82.71. This is truly a very promising variety for the production of high-quality coffee, specialty coffee,” said Mr. Phuong.

Head of the Economic Department, People's Committee of Huong Phung Commune, Ha Ngoc Duong, said that in the commune, there are currently about 20 hectares of THA1 coffee variety being harvested, in addition to about 50 hectares of newly planted coffee in the basic construction stage. Through the actual production of the people, the THA1 coffee variety shows advantages such as good resistance to pests and diseases, compact canopy, high fruit set rate, large fruit, later ripening and more concentrated ripening compared to the Catimor variety.

Specifically, while the Catimor variety has 4-5 ripe fruit crops in a season, the THA1 variety only has about 2 crops, the fruit is softer so it is convenient for harvesting. In terms of productivity, the THA1 variety gives an average yield of about 15 tons/ha, well-maintained gardens up to 25-30 tons/ha, significantly higher than the Catimor variety which only reaches about 10 tons/ha. However, Mr. Duong also noted that THA1 has a lower tolerance to drought and flooding than Catimor, requiring more careful investment in care. Therefore, planting according to the agroforestry model, with shade trees and proactive irrigation are necessary conditions for the THA1 variety to maximize its productivity and quality.

Proposal for special circulation recognition

According to Mr. Ha Ngoc Duong, despite its outstanding characteristics in productivity, quality, and resistance, the expansion of the THA1 coffee variety in the area has encountered difficulties in recent times. The existing areas are mainly planted by people who buy seeds themselves or through the support of programs and projects. The reason is that the THA1 variety has only been approved and recognized by the council of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) for trial production, and has not been officially allowed to circulate on the market. Therefore, the locality cannot guide or recommend people to expand the area due to the lack of legal basis, and growers have to take care of the seed source themselves.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hong Phuong informed that coffee is one of the three long-term industrial crops of Quang Tri province. It is grown in Huong Hoa district (old) with an area of over 3,700 hectares, the main variety is Catimor coffee. However, due to the long period of planting (from 1994-1995), most of them are now old, degenerated, susceptible to pests and diseases, and need to be renovated and replanted.

When planting new coffee, coffee growers mainly grow seedlings from coffee beans in their gardens or buy them from seedling businesses, seeds of unknown origin, not certified for quality... which has affected the growth of coffee gardens. Meanwhile, the THA1 coffee variety has many outstanding characteristics compared to the Catimor tea coffee variety such as high and stable yield, an average of 15-20 tons of fresh fruit/ha; strong growth, resistance to pests and diseases and good adaptation in specific ecological regions with altitudes of 600m or higher.

From that practical requirement, recently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has sent a document to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection requesting special recognition of the THA1 coffee variety in the locality to remove difficulties and create conditions for this promising coffee variety to be widely applied in production.

According to Ms. Phuong, if officially licensed, THA1 will become an important foundation for Quang Tri province to restructure the coffee area, form a high-quality Arabica coffee material area, move towards sustainable production and participate more deeply in the specialty coffee value chain. “The recognition of the THA1 coffee variety for special circulation not only addresses the urgent need for new varieties, but also opens up opportunities for comprehensive reconstruction of the province's Arabica coffee area,” Ms. Phuong emphasized.

Le An

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202512/tha1-giong-ca-phe-trien-vong-fda2a6c/