Gia Lai bustles with coffee planting season

Quality over quantity

That is the philosophy of Nguyen The Minh, Director of Nghia Hoa Agricultural Service Cooperative (Nghia Hoa Cooperative), when describing the cooperative's coffee nursery. "In 2025, our nursery produced nearly 300,000 coffee seedlings. This year, we have raised close to 400,000 seedlings because farmers use more seedlings and we have received more orders than last year," Minh said.

According to Minh, farmers are planting more coffee this year after many consecutive seasons of bumper harvests and high prices. Encouraged by positive results, farmers boldly invest in their plantations, primarily through replanting, replacing aging trees, and converting less productive cropland to coffee cultivation.

Minh said Nghia Hoa Cooperative places strong emphasis on seedling quality, aiming to help farmers establish plantations that meet varietal standards for more sustainable production while safeguarding the cooperative's long-term reputation. The cooperative's nursery is located in Chu Pah Commune, Gia Lai Province, one of the province's key coffee-growing areas. At the nursery in Hamlet 2, rows of coffee seedlings in nursery bags are neatly aligned. The seedlings have developed five pairs of leaves, making them ready for sale and field planting.

According to Minh, most of the seedlings are grown from seeds purchased from the Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (WASI), including varieties such as TRF1 and TR4. MSc. Dinh Thi Tieu Oanh at WASI noted that these are carefully selected varieties that have been officially released and commercialized.

"Whenever enterprises, cooperatives, or farmer households purchase seeds from WASI, the Institute assigns technical staff to provide free guidance throughout the entire process, from seed germination and care to seedling sales. Even after the seedlings have been planted, our technicians are available to provide on-site assistance or consultation by phone whenever farmers need support," Ms. Oanh said.

This is the most bustling season of the year for plant nurseries, particularly coffee seedling nurseries. At Nghia Hoa Cooperative's nursery, vehicles arrive almost constantly to purchase seedlings. One such customer is Ro Cham Khiu in Phung village, Ia Ly commune, who buys coffee seedlings for his family’s 1.1-hectare coffee plantation.

Ro Cham Khiu said that in the past, his family did not follow proper cultivation practices, from selecting seedlings and preparing the soil to planting at overly high densities. Crop management also relied heavily on chemical fertilizers and herbicides. "Over the past few years, I have been gradually replacing the old trees. With limited funds, I can only replant a few hundred trees each year. In a few more years, my family's entire coffee plantation will be replanted with high-quality new varieties and scientific cultivation methods," he said.

Imprint of agricultural extension

According to MSc. Dinh Thi Tieu Oanh, TRF1 and TR4 coffee varieties offer several outstanding traits, including ease of cultivation, strong drought tolerance, and resistance to pests and diseases. These improved hybrid varieties can produce 6–7.5 tons of green coffee beans per hectare when grown under suitable soil conditions and managed with proper cultivation practices.

Nguyen The Minh added that while traditional coffee varieties typically require irrigation every 20 days, TRF1 and TR4 can remain healthy and vigorous for up to 30 days. As a result, farmers can substantially reduce labor and production costs while achieving noticeably high productivity.

However, high-quality varieties alone are not enough; they must be accompanied by appropriate cultivation techniques. Thus, support from agricultural extension officers plays a crucial role. According to Mr. Hoang Viet Thang, Vice Chairman of the Ia Phi Commune Farmers' Union in Gia Lai, the commune has more than 19,000 hectares of coffee. Local coffee growers regularly receive technical training from agricultural extension officers, covering every stage of production. Through these training courses, the technical advances are transferred directly to individual farmer households and coffee plantations by agricultural extension officers.

The family of Mr. Khong Minh in Lang Bang Hamlet, Ia Phi Commune, owns 3 hectares of coffee, around 10 years old, after clearing their old plantation for replanting. According to Mr. Minh, little attention was previously paid to seed selection. Like many growers in the area, he purchased seedlings from unverified market sources, resulting in poor plantation quality. In addition, unsuitable cultivation practices, including heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, caused the plantation to deteriorate significantly after only a short period.

About 10 years ago, as his family's financial situation improved and with technical support from agricultural extension officers, he boldly replaced sections of the old plantation. Today, the entire 3-hectare coffee plantation has been replanted with certified varieties and modern cultivation practices, resulting in the lush, healthy plantation.

"Agricultural extension officers regularly visit our plantation and provide hands-on technical guidance, helping farmers learn new knowledge of coffee cultivation. As a result, we have been able to reduce production costs while improving efficiency. In the most recent harvest, our coffee plantation yielded nearly 5 tons of green coffee beans per hectare," Mr. Minh said excitedly.

It is undeniable that the presence of agricultural extension officers has brought about a remarkable transformation in local coffee plantations, making them healthier, more resilient, and more productive. "Agricultural extension officers have left a positive imprint on our coffee plantations," stated Mr. Khong Minh in Lang Bang hamlet, Ia Phi commune.