Regional and sectorial linking to develop Son La coffee products

On October 20, the first Son La Coffee Festival 2023 was inaugurated in Tay Bac Square, Son La province with the attendance of the Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue; former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly Tong Thi Phong; leaders of the Party, State; leaders of Central Ministries, Committees, and Departments; National Assembly deputies and leaders from provinces and cities across the country; Ambassadors and international guests.

With the theme “Arabica Son La - The Flavor of the Northwest Highlands,” an elaborate artistic program has been prepared, featuring outstanding performances in singing, dancing, and music, combined with stage presentations, depicting the history of the formation and development of the Arabica Son La coffee brand and the cultural traditions of the ethnic people of Son La Province.

The first Coffee Festival in Son La in 2023 takes place from October 20 to 23, featuring a series of activities including the Coffee Gala, the “Son La Coffee - Integration and Development” exhibition, showcasing beautiful coffee-related photos, a book fair titled “Son La Shines for the Future,” a coffee quality improvement workshop, a conference on trade connections and coffee products, a farmer competition, and coffee tourism experiences.

As part of the festival, the inauguration of the Cascara tea production line by Phuc Sinh Son La Joint Stock Company and the Son La Coffee Processing Plant by Son La Coffee Joint Stock Company in Mai Son District has been celebrated.

In his opening remarks, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan noted that Arabica Son La coffee has long been renowned and exported to many countries, contributing significantly to the country's coffee export revenue. He commended Son La Province for organizing the “Son La Coffee Festival,” which is a practical initiative to support farmers and businesses in expanding the consumption market for agricultural products in general and coffee products in particular, promoting sustainable agricultural development and increasing value.

Currently, Son La Province has over 20,000 hectares of coffee, accounting for 41.2% of the national Arabica coffee cultivation area, making it the province with the largest Arabica coffee cultivation area in Vietnam. Nearly 18,000 hectares have been certified as sustainable and equivalent, yielding over 204,000 tons of fresh coffee cherries. The revenue from selling fresh cherries is estimated to exceed 2,000 billion VND. Son La has developed several concentrated coffee production areas that apply scientific and technological methods, linking production, processing, and distribution, involving farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises.

Notably, two coffee areas in Son La have been recognized by the provincial People's Committee as high-tech agricultural zones, and one is recognized as a geographical indication for Son La Coffee. As a result, Son La has attracted investments in establishing and operating large-scale, modern coffee processing plants, meeting the production, processing, consumption, and export demands.

Son La Coffee products have been exported to 20 countries, contributing to increased income for coffee growers and processors, creating employment opportunities, and improving the restructuring of coffee production towards higher quality and value in Son La.

Minister Le Minh Hoan hoped the province would focus on investing in large-scale commodity production, integrating with advanced processing industries, and building value chains for sustainable development and prioritizing resources for investment to promote mechanization, application of science and technology, establishing value chain management systems, food safety, traceability, and developing national brands.

Strengthening regional and inter-sectoral links to invest in the development of key national products, and promoting international cooperation and trade promotion activities to remove trade barriers and boost exports.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to support Son La in replanting and renovating old coffee gardens, using 100% high-yield, high-quality coffee varieties, and implementing intercropping with industrial and perennial fruit trees in suitable coffee replanting areas. There will be increased investment in deep processing to enhance the quality of exported coffee and domestic consumption.

Thanks to a trend of hiking in coffee prices, experts have predicted that this year’s export revenue of this product may exceed last year’s record of 4 billion USD.

In the Central Highlands region, the major coffee production hub of Vietnam, coffee prices rose strongly last week and hit a record in three months.

Under a project to develop Vietnamese specialty coffee in the 2021-2030 period that was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in 2025, the area of specialty coffee is expected to account for 2% of the country’s total coffee area, with an output of 5,000 tonnes. The figures are hoped to increase to 3% and 11,000 tonnes in 2030.