With more than 23,000 hectares of coffee, leading the country in Arabica coffee acreage, Son La is focusing on implementing a strategy to develop high-quality, sustainable coffee based on the application of science and technology.
Leaders of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations spoke at the workshop "Solutions for coffee development in Son La province".
On October 31, the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations in collaboration with the Son La Province Union of Science and Technology Associations organized a workshop on “Solutions for coffee development in Son La Province”. Attending were representatives of departments, branches, cooperatives, and coffee production enterprises in the province.
Son La is a locality with outstanding advantages in terms of terrain and climate to develop Arabica coffee - a type of coffee with high economic value and popular in many international markets. Since the late 1980s, the province has implemented the "Arabica Coffee Development Program", and since 2017, a series of new policies have been issued to encourage investment, improve quality and build a sustainable coffee value chain.
These policies focus on supporting businesses and cooperatives in applying good agricultural production processes, bringing high technology into production such as water-saving irrigation combined with fertilization through water, applying GIS/GPS in nutrient management, organic production, and forming links between raw material areas - processing - consumption.
By the end of 2024, Son La will have 23,312 hectares of coffee, with an output of nearly 30,000 tons of coffee beans, accounting for 47.9% of the country's Arabica coffee area and more than 73% of the area in the Northern region. The province has built 5 production - processing - consumption chains, 2 high-tech growing areas, 5 OCOP products (including 1 product with 5 national stars). Each year, Son La exports about 31,700 tons of coffee beans, worth 88.77 million USD, accounting for nearly 50% of the total export value of the whole province, targeting major markets such as the EU, North America, the Middle East and ASEAN.
Conference scene.
However, Son La coffee industry still faces many challenges such as aging acreage, small-scale production, limited processing capacity, and unsynchronized post-harvest preservation, affecting product quality.
At the workshop, 13 presentations focused on analyzing, criticizing and proposing synchronous solutions from production, processing to consumption. Delegates agreed that the application of science and technology, strengthening chain linkages and brand development are the keys to help Son La coffee reach further in the international market.
According to Ms. Pham Thi Ha, Chairwoman of the Union of Science and Technology Associations of Son La province, for sustainable development, the coffee industry needs a comprehensive strategy, focusing on technology - linkage chain - brand. In which, priority is given to perfecting raw material areas, expanding the area of specialty coffee, replanting new high-quality varieties, applying science and technology and digital transformation in traceability.
According to Ms. Ha, building, managing and promoting the "Son La Coffee" brand associated with geographical indications, combining trade promotion and expanding high-quality markets will help Son La coffee consolidate its position, create competitive advantages and achieve sustainable development.