Coffee exports await record

Coffee production at Lacote Vietnam Production and Export Company Limited (in Thong Nhat district). Photo: V.Gia

Although still on a favorable path, the coffee industry still has many unknowns that will affect it in the coming time. Strict policies on the environment, origin from Europe, as well as US tariff policies are things that coffee businesses need to pay attention to.

Export turnover increased

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment , in the first four months of this year, exports of most agricultural, forestry and fishery products increased compared to the same period last year, with total export turnover reaching over 21.1 billion USD, up 10.7%. There were 6 products with export value of over 1 billion USD, 2 products with over 3 billion USD and most key products with export value higher than the same period last year. Wood and coffee were the products with the highest export value at 5.2 billion USD and 3.78 billion USD respectively, of which coffee export value increased by 51.1%, the highest among Vietnam's agricultural products.

Coffee has been a high-value export item of Vietnam in the past two years and coffee prices are also rising sharply in the world market. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recorded an average coffee price in 2024 that increased by 38.8% compared to the average in 2023, due to a decline in production in the context of adverse weather. The average global coffee price in 2025 could increase even higher if production decreases significantly in major coffee growing regions around the world.

According to Vice President of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association Nguyen Nam Hai, Vietnamese coffee is currently exported to over 80 countries and territories; of which Europe, Asia and the US are the largest markets. This result is not only due to high prices, but also due to the export promotion strategy of enterprises in the context of global market fluctuations. If the export growth rate continues to be favorable, Vietnam's coffee export value this year could reach a new record.

Similarly, in Dong Nai , the value of coffee exports in the first 4 months of the year reached nearly 655 million USD, an increase of more than 60.6% over the same period in 2024. Although the coffee growing area in Dong Nai is not much, many enterprises choose Dong Nai as the location to set up warehouses, factories for preliminary processing and deep processing of coffee. This also contributes to making Dong Nai one of the places exporting a lot of coffee in Vietnam.

Director of Lacote Vietnam Production and Export Company Limited (in Thong Nhat District) Dinh Thanh Thien shared that although export prices have increased, coffee is scarce in the global market due to the decrease in output. Vietnamese coffee is favored by many customers, so the company is closely monitoring the market situation to have appropriate solutions in the near future.

There are still many unknowns.

According to experts and businesses, although domestic coffee prices have not changed much, the export situation and global factors can still affect prices in the coming time. In particular, the world trade situation has unfavorable trends when the trade war between major countries, the tariff policies of the US and many other countries are applied to each other. Therefore, investors and farmers need to closely monitor market developments to make reasonable decisions.

According to Mr. Thai Nhu Hiep, General Director of Vinh Hiep Company Limited (in Gia Lai province), the largest coffee exporter in Vietnam in 2024, over the past year, the company has coordinated with localities to address challenges in developing the coffee industry, complying with the European Deforestation Prevention Regulation (EUDR), reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and producing sustainable coffee to adapt to climate change. Thanks to closely following the market, the export value has also achieved favorable results, and partners are favoring the company's products as well as Vietnamese coffee.

One positive thing is that in the trade war, coffee may only be subject to low tariffs due to the scarcity of the market and the voices of international coffee organizations. The North American Coffee Association (NCA) has proactively proposed that the US government remove coffee imports from the tariffs applied in the US.

Similarly, on April 16, 2025, the Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO), Vanusia Nogueira, also wrote to the US Secretary of State, requesting that the coffee industry be considered in the negotiations on import tariffs. The organization believes that coffee is not a product of unfair or non-reciprocal trade. Coffee is primarily an imported product into the US, because there are no alternatives. The ICO believes that the proposed tariffs under the America First policy could significantly harm the US coffee industry and consumers, and therefore need to be considered fairly.

Van Gia

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202505/xuat-khau-ca-phe-cho-don-ky-luc-4fc594a/