Son La coffee accelerates data standardization to comply with the EUDR

The Plant Production and Protection Department (PPPD-MAE), in coordination with the Son La Department of Agriculture and Environment, recently held a public-private dialogue on information-sharing mechanisms and coffee farm database development to support implementation of the EUDR.

At the meeting, the PPPD introduced the national coffee farm database and traceability system being developed to support EUDR compliance.

Since January 2024, the system has been piloted in Lam Dong and Dak Lak provinces, where data from more than 151,000 hectares of coffee plantations have been collected. The system is now largely complete and has been installed on servers managed by the Digital Transformation Department for pilot operation and cybersecurity assessment before its official launch.

The platform comprises three core components: a coffee farm database, an EUDR forest database, and an EUDR traceability system. It also includes management tools, user-access controls, and field survey and data update functions, enabling standardized data management, verification, and traceability.

According to the Son La Department of Agriculture and Environment, the province currently has 36,397 hectares of coffee, with an estimated 2026 green coffee bean production of around 40,000 tonnes. Of the total area, 35,465 hectares have obtained sustainable coffee production certifications or equivalent standards, while 543.7 hectares are managed under organic farming practices. The province is home to 28 coffee-producing and processing enterprises and cooperatives.

To prepare for EUDR implementation, Son La has established a provincial public-private working group and signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a pilot model for sustainable, EUDR-compliant coffee production in Muong Chanh and Nam Lau communes. To date, data have been collected from more than 3,000 hectares of coffee plantations in these two communes.

The province has also organized one Training of Trainers (TOT) course, five Training of Facilitators (TOF) courses for nearly 300 participants, and 86 training sessions on EUDR-compliant coffee production for more than 2,500 farmers.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Manh, Deputy Director General of the PPPD, said the coffee farm database developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is intended as a shared platform to support local authorities and businesses in implementing the EUDR rather than as a mandatory system. Once finalized and officially launched, it will be provided free of charge, with local governments responsible for managing, updating, and utilizing data within their jurisdictions.

According to Mr. Manh, businesses will be able to integrate their existing farm data into the national platform instead of collecting information from scratch. After completing cybersecurity assessments, the database will be integrated into the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment's national traceability system, providing a unified platform for managing and verifying the origin of products exported to the European Union.