Agriculture in South Central Coast and Central Highlands maintains growth momentum amid challenges

On October 8 in Dak Lak Province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in collaboration with the Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee, held a conference to review crop production and plant protection activities in 2025 and to plan production for 2026 in the South Central Coast and Central Highlands regions. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung and Vice Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thien Van co-chaired the conference.

Maintaining growth momentum amid challenges

According to Nguyen Quoc Manh, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, despite being adversely affected by droughts, storms, and floods, as well as challenges in the process of merging and reorganizing the two-tier local government system, crop production in the South Central Coast and Central Highlands basically met the plan.

The rice cultivation area reached 785,000 hectares, yielding nearly 5.1 million tons. Major industrial crops, such as coffee, pepper, rubber, cashew, and tea, maintained stable areas, with total output reaching nearly 2.826 million tons, an increase of more than 127,000 tons compared to the same period last year. The area of fruit trees continued to expand, especially durian. The total fruit output was estimated at nearly 2.921 million tons, up 385.5 thousand tons from the previous year. Vegetable and short-term crop production was expanded, focusing on quality and food safety, with a total estimated area of nearly 953,000 hectares and a total output of nearly 19.8 million tons.

According to Mr. Manh, in addition to these achievements, the region’s agricultural production still faces several limitations. The seed rate used for rice cultivation remains high; the management of planting area codes and packing facilities is not yet synchronized. The control of pesticide residues and heavy metals remains difficult, value chain linkages are still weak, and irrigation infrastructure in some areas does not meet the requirements. There are also problems related to decentralization and administrative procedures after the local government merger.

To successfully implement the proposed plan, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection recommended that localities in the region promptly organize conferences to evaluate crop production results for 2025 and implement production plans for 2026. The Departments of Agriculture and Environment should direct relevant units to focus all conditions and resources on effectively responding to and overcoming floods and droughts, thereby minimizing damage from natural disasters and ensuring production targets are met.

Regarding management, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection requested localities to strengthen inspection and supervision of agricultural input businesses (including seed, fertilizer, and pesticide suppliers) to ensure input quality for production. Training and communication programs should be organized around climate change adaptation, water-saving irrigation guidance, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and circular agriculture, with the goal of achieving carbon credit certification for crops.

Promoting the conversion of low-yield rice land and controlling planting areas

According to Nguyen Thien Van, Vice Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee, following the administrative merger, Dak Lak now has 657,728 hectares of agricultural land, the largest in the country. Combined with forest resources, diverse climate, and fertile basalt soil, the province enjoys outstanding advantages for developing agriculture, forestry, and eco-tourism.

Mr. Van noted that despite achievements, agricultural production and plant protection in Dak Lak still face many difficulties and challenges. Production remains fragmented, value chain linkages are still limited, and the application of science, technology, and digital transformation is not yet synchronized, particularly in managing planting areas and traceability. Agricultural product markets remain unstable, especially for export products.

Therefore, Dak Lak continues to develop key products, including coffee, pepper, rubber, fruit trees, and aquatic products, based on sustainable value chains, while promoting digital transformation and high technology in production, area management, and agricultural traceability.

Concluding the conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung recognized and highly appreciated the agricultural production results achieved by the South Central Coast and Central Highlands in 2025. According to him, these regions are the country’s key areas for major industrial crops, such as coffee, pepper, rubber, and cashew; fruit crops for export, including durian, passion fruit, and dragon fruit; and specialty fruit regions for domestic consumption, including avocado, grape, and apple. Recently, the country’s largest macadamia production zone has also been established here.

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung also emphasized the need to disseminate and comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) regarding coffee and rubber. At the same time, a close coordination mechanism should be established between the Departments of Agriculture and Environment and commune-level People’s Committees in crop production data collection and reporting.