Coffee farmers in the Central Highlands are elated as coffee prices hit an all-time high, bringing hope for a bumper crop. However, that joy is mixed with worry as thefts are on the rise, from orchards to drying yards and warehouses, forcing many families to stay up all night to guard against thieves.
With his face showing signs of fatigue after many sleepless nights guarding his coffee garden, Mr. Nguyen Van Tan, in Ia To commune, Ia Grai district, Gia Lai province, could not hide his anger when talking about the times he was "visited" by thieves.
His family owns 3 hectares of coffee, more than half of which has been harvested, with about 25 tons of fresh fruit drying in the yard. However, on the night of December 10, his family was boldly broken into twice by thieves, despite the fact that the drying yard was fenced with barbed wire and located in a densely populated area.
The coffee drying yard of Mr. Nguyen Van Tan's family in Ia To commune, Ia Grai district, Gia Lai province, is fenced with barbed wire and located in a residential area but is still "visited" by thieves.
"At current prices, a bag of fresh coffee is worth more than a million, and green coffee is nearly ten million per bag. That's why thieves have never been as bold as this year. At night, they jump into the drying yard to steal.
Just last night, I had to go out to the yard twice to chase them away. In the garden, they broke branches, stripped fruits and picked them right at the beginning of the garden, even stealing the whole bag of picked fruits," Mr. Tan worriedly shared.
Along with Gia Lai, the Central Highlands provinces are entering the peak of the coffee harvest. Coffee prices have reached a record high, ranging from 120,000-130,000 VND/kg of coffee beans, bringing great joy to growers. However, that joy is not complete when theft makes people worried, keeping watch over their coffee gardens all night.
Mr. Nguyen Van Quy, Thanh Lam village, Duc Minh commune, Dak Mil district, Dak Nong province, said: "This year, coffee prices are high, but there have been thefts in some places in the village. People really hope that the security team will do a good job like in previous years to ensure security for the harvest season."
Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, in Dak Tam village, Dak Lao commune, Dak Mil district, shared that she was happy because of the good price but also worried about coffee theft.
Also in the key coffee region of Dak Nong province, Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, in Dak Tam village, Dak Lao commune, Dak Mil district, shared her joy at good prices mixed with worries about theft in this year's coffee season: "My family has more than 2.5 hectares of coffee, only half of which has been harvested. For the past month, the whole family has had to take turns guarding it, but thieves still came in and stole about a dozen trees. I'm happy because the prices are good, but I'm also very worried because I've spent a whole year taking care of it and still can't rest assured."
In Dak Lak province, coffee theft has made many farmers worried, forcing them to harvest early even though the rate of ripe fruit has not met the requirements. Mr. Pham Xuan Hanh, in village 2, Tan Hoa commune, Buon Don district, shared: "My family has more than 1 hectare of coffee, but because there is no one to look after it, at the end of November, even though the rate of ripe fruit is only 60-70%, I had to harvest early to avoid loss. However, some trees were still stolen."
According to Mr. Hanh, this situation does not only happen to his family. "Right next to my house, Mr. Dung also had dozens of coffee trees stolen at the beginning of the season. Many households in village 1, village 2, village 3 also faced similar situations, each garden had more than a dozen trees stolen. Everyone is worried, losing sleep because of fear of thieves," Mr. Hanh added.
Mr. Tran Van Luyen, residing in village 3, Cu Ebur commune, Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province, had about 600kg of fresh coffee stolen by a B40 thief on the night of October 31.
Not only coffee gardens and drying yards of people, thieves also target farms, coffee companies, and warehouses where large quantities of harvested coffee are gathered. Mr. Do Giao Huong, Director of Ia Blang Coffee Company, Ia Grai District, Gia Lai Province, said that the theft situation this year is more complicated and more aggressive, making the company very difficult to prevent. At this time, all leaders and employees of the company are mobilized to patrol and protect the gardens and warehouses every night.
Mr. Bui Van Chinh, captain of team 23, Ia Blan Coffee Company and the stolen coffee branch.
"Just last night, there were 4 cases around 11-12 pm breaking into the company's drying yard. Luckily, the security force discovered it in time so the subjects ran away.
This year the price is very high, the highest in the history of the coffee industry, so the pressure of theft is inevitable. Right from the beginning of the harvest, we have coordinated with the commune police and asked the local government to support the work of protecting the harvest," said Mr. Huong.
Source: https://danviet.vn/vi-sao-nong-dan-tay-nguyen-ngay-lo-dem-bo-ngu-khi-gia-ca-phe-tang-cao-chua-tung-thay-20241212111222592.htm
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