The global coffee market is estimated at some 500 billion USD per year. However, Vietnam’s coffee exports only reached 3.5 billion last year, a very small proportion of the market, while the taste of Vietnamese coffee is no less competitive than any other coffee.

This cooperative receives orders of more than 1,000 tonnes of coffee each year yet the qualified amount is 200 to 300 tonnes only, despite the fact that the products are highly appreciated when on show at international trade fairs. Every locality in the Central Highlands has its own programmes for coffee quality assurance yet they are still not up to international requirements. According to experts, the biggest challenge for Vietnamese farm produce in general and coffee in particular is a lack of products meeting international standards like GlobalGap or Organic certification. In order to unlock the full potential of Vietnamese coffee, the sector should reform towards a more professional manner from production to distribution. Potential and the competitive edges of the domestic coffee are assessed carefully in the scheme for developing the coffee sector by 2030, which was recently approved by the Government. Once the sector is re-organised towards a more professional manner, profit is expected to soar and dependence on foreign markets is likely to fall.-VNA