Enjoying lucrative jackfruit coffee crop, with prices double from last year

Mr. Van Viet Long, a resident of Huong Phu hamlet, Huong Phung commune (Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province), remarked that the price of jackfruit coffee has never been higher than this year. Before the coffee season, his family could only sell 5,000 to 6,000 VND per kilogram of fresh fruit.

However, this year, traders arrived at the start of the season to negotiate purchasing rates ranging from 12,000 to 13,000 VND/kg for fresh fruit, with dried fruit prices exceeding 35,000 VND/kg. This is a substantially higher price than previous years, making the locals very excited.

Mr. Long intends to harvest over 6 tons of fresh fruit from about 500 jackfruit coffee trees aged 5 to 15 years that have been intercropped with coffee and tea (Arabica catimor).

"Getting a good deal while also having a good season. If the selling price remains stable, I could profit by about 60 million Vietnamese dong from this year's harvest", Mr. Long excitedly exclaimed. 

Mr. Ho Doanh of But Viet hamlet (Huong Phung commune) has about 1 hectare of concentratedly planted jackfruit coffee trees that are currently being harvested.

As the jackfruit coffee ripens and prices rise, his family is focusing on harvesting, with a yield of more than 20 tons of fresh fruit expected. After expenses, they predict a profit of more than 150 million VND.

Mrs. Ho Thi Ly, the owner of Arafarm farm in Hoang Luan village (Xa Ry hamlet, Huong Phung commune), stated that the farm has purchased over 20 tons of jackfruit coffee since the beginning of the season, with a need of 100% ripe red fruit. In addition, the buying price is 2,000 VND/kg greater than the market. After purchasing, the jackfruit coffee fruits are cleaned to remove contaminants and fermented for 1-2 days before processing. The farm currently sells green coffee beans to the market for around 200,000 VND/kg.

According to Mrs. Ly, jackfruit coffee has a distinct flavor: the yellow, lustrous coffee beans are quite attractive, with a sweet licorice taste, a trace of aromatic jackfruit scent, and a tiny bitterness. Depending on the roasting method, jackfruit coffee beans will provide distinct flavors. This style of coffee appeals to the tastes of European consumers, therefore in addition to servicing the domestic market, clients from the Netherlands and South Korea come to enjoy and place orders.

"It is expected that from now until the end of the season, the farm will purchase an additional 15 to 20 tons of jackfruit coffee," said Mrs. Ly.

Jackfruit coffee is mostly farmed in Quang Tri province's Huong Hoa district, which covers an area of approximately 400 - 500 hectares. Jackfruit coffee is generally produced to serve as windbreaks and shade trees in coffee and tea gardens, with low maintenance and fertilizing requirements.

Jackfruit coffee tends to ripen simultaneously, making harvesting simple. Farmers merely need to drape sheets beneath the trees and use ladders to harvest simultaneously.

Previously, the most popular jackfruit coffee kind was local. However, in the last ten years, locals in Huong Hoa have imported jackfruit coffee cultivars from Dak Lak for planting, primarily as dispersed plantings to offer shade and windbreaks for Arabica coffee.

This coffee type produces huge fruits, has a high output, and is easy to harvest. On average, a jackfruit coffee tree produces 30 to 70 kg of fresh fruit. Some trees over 15 years old can produce more than one ton of fresh fruit.

Mr. Ho Quoc Trung, Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department in Huong Hoa district, noted that jackfruit coffee has numerous advantages over tea coffee, including drought tolerance, pest and disease resistance, and larger fruits and beans.

Farmers, on the other hand, have been unimpressed due to a prolonged period of low production and volatile prices. This year, the jackfruit coffee production in Huong Hoa is expected to be 17 tons of fresh fruit per hectare.

Huong Hoa district has directed locals to increase coffee quality and efficiency in harvesting, processing, and consumption. This has resulted in over 90% of ripe coffee being picked.

"The district's position is to retain the jackfruit coffee region in the area, advocating against widespread planting simply because of this year's high purchase price. Farmers must take care to boost production and output of coffee products. Expanding the jackfruit coffee region is also dependent on the availability of reliable, long-term outlets", Mr. Ho Quoc Trung, Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department in Huong Hoa district stated.