The coffee material area needs 11,000 workers

The demand for labour in the coffee raw material area is very large

Previously, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development implemented a pilot project to build a standard coffee material area with an area of ​​19,700 ha, including 4 provinces of Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Kon Tum and Dak Nong. In this project area, there are about 64 cooperatives that will benefit from 5,230 coffee-producing households. Therefore, the demand for human resources in the coming time for the coffee material areas in the Central Highlands provinces is very large.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said that the demand for labour in the coffee raw material area is very large. The problem is how to combine supply and demand effectively.

The main goal is the combination of cooperatives and businesses that need labour resources so that relevant training schools will have more specific orientations.

According to the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), it is expected that the labour demand in the coffee material area is approximately 11,000 people. In which, 10,000 employees are directly involved in coffee production.

However, many current workers are still limited in production practices following advanced farming processes, reducing emissions, and adapting to climate change. In addition, workers lack knowledge of business in the agricultural sector.

On that basis, the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development proposed, in the coming time, it is necessary to bring the content of cooperative training, linking raw material areas into teaching, and coordinate to send students to graduate internships in organizations in raw material areas. On the business side, the cooperative also needs to receive students for internships, long-term and stable jobs. Meanwhile, localities need to have mechanisms and policies to attract young workers to support cooperatives and businesses.

Bringing students for internships, leading to long-term work.

Mr. Thai Nhu Hiep, Director of Vinh Hiep Co., Ltd. said that now businesses and cooperatives are short of labor force. The fact that students practice and graduate to work at enterprises is a good thing, helping coffee trees reduce post-harvest losses.

“Businesses are ready to receive internship and graduate students to work at enterprises. To do so, students also need to have a love and passion for the profession, especially in the field of coffee production, to be able to stick around for a long time," said Mr Hiep.

To solve the problem of human resources in coffee material areas, Dr Nguyen Thi Lan, Director of the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, said that it is necessary to train high-quality human resources for cooperatives and businesses. Along with that is the application of science and technology, the organization of value chain links in a sustainable direction.

To accomplish that, it is necessary to send students to do internships to graduate from cooperatives and enterprises in the Central Highlands. At the same time, send officials to the locality to solve problems of localities, cooperatives and enterprises in the Central Highlands. In addition, businesses and cooperatives also need to coordinate with universities and colleges to organize technical training courses, soil and water analysis, pest control, traceability, and logistics.

“To train and develop human resources in the Central Highlands, the Vietnam National University of Agriculture will sponsor several scholarships for high school graduates with excellent grades, with passion for the profession, and commitment to the locality to work," Dr Lan shared.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said that to build a material area that meets international standards, it is necessary to have a team of supporting staff, together with farmers who specialize in coffee production. Therefore, it is necessary to link together with supply and demand to train human resources to serve the coffee material area.

The Deputy Minister suggested that cooperatives and localities grasp the labour needs and then put the request directly to schools to train people with specific expertise. Looking forward to the best implementation of the project of developing standard coffee material areas.

“First of all, in Gia Lai province, I suggest that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development grasp the needs of cooperatives and businesses and how much labour they need, then coordinate with the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development to develop a plan to bring students to practice in internships and work for a long time," Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said.