Coffee seedlings' price increase 2-3 times, still 'sold out'

Price increased 2-3 times, must order in advance

The roads in Hoa Thang commune, Buon Ma Thuot City (Dak Lak province) around the Western Highlands Agro-Forestry Scientific and Technical Institute are the places that provide a large number of coffee seedlings for the people of Dak Lak in particular, and the Central Highlands in general.

Here there are dozens of business establishments, from large to small seedlings. In the role of a gardener who goes to buy coffee seeds, the reporter is here to see the goods. When approaching business shops, most are informed that the number of coffee varieties is not much.

Visit a shop to ask for coffee varieties to plant in an area of 3 ha. The shop owner pointed to the display area of coffee seedlings and said: "Only this much; if you want to buy in bulk, we have no way to make it happent".

Similarly, when we went to other shops on the same route, most didn't have many varieties of coffee left. Some stores are similar, most of which have already been booked. The few remaining types are just small trees with curly leaves.

Business owners said there has never been a time when coffee varieties "sold out" like this year. Also, because of the scarcity, the price of coffee varieties increased many times.

Specifically, the actual price of coffee seedlings here ranges from VND 4,000 - VND 8,000/ tree, depending on the size and the potting soil. And grafted coffee costs from VND 14,000 to VND 16,000/ tree. The current price of coffee varieties here is double or triple compared to previous years.

Some shops still look like coffee, but when asked to buy goods, the establishment's owner requires a deposit to keep them. "If there is no deposit when someone else comes to buy, they will sell. Now the price is like that, but maybe tomorrow the price will go up again because it's out of stock," said a seed business owner.

The scarcity of coffee seeds and the sharp increase in prices have caused many difficulties for farmers due to higher production costs every year.

Mr. Tran Duc Pho (living in Bang Adrenh commune, Krong Ana district, Dak Lak province) said the family planted 500 m² of coffee again this year and died locally. Therefore, the family needs about 300 seedlings to grow.

“In previous years, just going to the area around the Central Highlands Agro-Forestry Science and Technology Institute was able to buy seeds readily, but this year I had to go to a few stores to choose a satisfactory seedling and had to accept the high price (VND 5,000/tree).

"The price of seedlings has increased, plus fertilizers and pesticides have also increased, causing households to grow new or replant coffee in a large areas. The cost is significantly increased, while the price of coffee is unknown. How will it be next year?”

Mr. Nguyen Van Ninh (living in Quang Hiep commune, Cu Mgar district, Dak Lak province) also bought more than 400 coffee trees to replant for nearly 1ha of his family's land.

According to Mr. Ninh, green coffee prices have increased this year, so people have rushed to buy replanting seeds for old, low-yielding coffee areas.

“Last year, neighbors bought coffee seedlings for replanting for just over VND 3,000/tree, but this year, the price went up due to being out of stock. Not only is the price high but to have the seeds to plant, I have to go more than 30km to Hoa Thang commune to buy goods,” said Mr. Ninh.

Be careful of buying poor-quality seeds

According to the Sub-Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Dak Lak province, the locality currently has 202,000 ha of coffee, the province with the most significant coffee area in the country. However, Dak Lak is also the locality with the country's most crucial area of old and less productive coffee.

Therefore, in recent years, local authorities and the people of Dak Lak have replanted many areas. In particular, this year, the price of coffee increased, so people rushed to buy seeds for replanting, leading to a scarcity of goods and increasing the price of coffee varieties.

Mr. Nguyen Hac Hien, Deputy Director of the Sub-Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Dak Lak province, said that due to the high price of green coffee, people rushed to replant old areas.

"The scarce supply of coffee seedlings also leads to risks due to unsatisfactory quality, unrecognized varieties by testing or purchased at unsafe production facilities. Farmers should go to reputable seedling business establishments with papers, invoices, and vouchers for suitable types.

"When buying, people need to carefully check the quality of seedlings, choose seeds and improve the soil, and eliminate pathogens according to the prescribed order and time. When the ground is free of pathogens, planting seeds will be carried out to limit the percentage of dead plants," said Mr. Hien.

As a research and creation unit of the country's coffee varieties, the Central Highlands Agro-Forestry Science and Technology Institute annually supplies 5-6 tons of seeds and 1.5 million coffee seedlings to the market for 5,000 ha.

Dr. Phan Viet Ha, Deputy Director of the Central Highlands Agro-Forestry Science and Technology Institute, said that this year, the unit's coffee seed price remains unchanged at VND 3,500- VND 4,000/plant tree and VND 8,000/graft tree.

“Varieties at the Institute are researched, have clear origins, have top-class gardens, and quality is guaranteed. The outside varieties will not guarantee quality, so people should be cautious. People should not arbitrarily expand the area massively but should only replant in the planned areas to replace the bad, old, low-yielding coffee gardens," said Dr. Ha.

According to Dr. Phan Viet Ha, the land area for planting new coffee is minimal. If people expand the area, invading forest land will be very easy. Meanwhile, according to new European Union (EU) regulations, coffee products from degraded or destroyed forest lands after December 31, 2020, will not be exported to the market.