VnSAT’s positive results in Gia Lai’s coffee-growing areas

Located in the border district of Duc Co, Phuong Hoang Construction - Trade and Service Cooperative has 324 members growing 530 ha of coffee. 

For the last two years, Phuong Hoang Cooperative has participated in the VnSAT project and got expected benefits from the project.

Nguyen Tan Duy, Director of Phuong Hoang Cooperative, said that with VnSAT’s supports, the cooperative has been invested in coffee processing equipment and machinery such as a colour-based separator worth VND1.6 billion, milling machines for wet-processed fresh coffee worth VND 2.8 billion VND, in which the co-operative contributed half of the fund.

The co-operative also built two in-field roads to facilitate coffee transportation to its production area. They are the 5.2-km-long inter-commune route Ia Krieng - Ia Kel with an investment of VND10.6 billion and the 6-km-long route from Ia Lang commune to Chu Ty town with an investment of VND15 billion.

In the next period, VnSAT would continue to support the cooperative a system of drying ground and net houses with a total area of ​​6,000 sq.m. They are estimated to cost about VND4.6 billion. Additionally, an automatic warehouse with a capacity of 500 tons of goods will be built with an estimated fund of VND 7.8 billion.

"The VnSAT's investment will help improve the quality of coffee and help members' incomes improve," said Duy.

Le Van Thanh, Director of Ia Mo Nong Agricultural and Tourism Production - Trade - Service Cooperative (Chu Pah district) said that as participating in the VnSAT, his co-operative had just completed the installation of a high-quality coffee processing system.

"The cooperative will promote the purchase of coffee for local farmers, then select high-quality coffees to supply to Vinh Hiep Co., Ltd. for export," Thanh said.

Le Quoc Tuan, Deputy Director of the VnSAT Project Management Board in Gia Lai province, said that along with the training program on sustainable coffee production and replanting, between 2021 and 2022, VnSAT would continue to support to implement five sub-projects to build intra-field roads with a total value of VND 64.2 billion.

VnSAT Gia Lai signed a contract with the Central Highlands Agro-Forestry Science and Technology Institute to open 22 training courses on sustainable coffee production. VnSAT also prepared 20 training courses on sustainable coffee replanting techniques as people from ethnic minorities groups would be given priority to attend the classes. Due to the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the training plan has not been implemented.

Earlier, VnSAT also supported farmers’ organisations to buy machinery and equipment for preliminary processing of coffee beans

Roads to the production areas

Le Quoc Tuan said that under transportation sub-projects, roads in Dak Krong commune (Dak Doa district), Dak Djran commune and Dak Ta Lay commune (Mang Yang district), Ia Mo Nong commune (Chu Pah district) have been built while in the remaining sub-project in Ia Krieng - Ia Kel commune (Duc Co district), they were selecting contractors for the road construction. Meanwhile, the traffic road project in Ia Sao commune (Ia Grai district) was now waiting for approval.

Tuan also said that, at the request of the World Bank, road projects must be completed before June 2022, so the construction units have to accelerate the progress to keep up with the scheme.

"With the roads are already under construction, we believe the project will be completed ahead of schedule," said Tuan.

In the past few days, the joy has been clearly shown on the faces of the members of the Dak Krong Agricultural Cooperative, Dak Doa district when the construction of the in-field traffic road was officially started. The route has a length of 5 km with a total cost of more than VND10 billion. When it is completed, it will serve the production and transportation of more than 1,000 hectares of coffee.

Trinh Khac Duong, Director of Dak Krong Agricultural Cooperative, said that previously, the landscape coffee project around the reservoir of Dak Doa Hydroelectricity had been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with an expectation to develop a sustainable production model environmental protection associated with tourism development.

Therefore, when the route is completed, it will have a great impact on the landscape coffee area in a positive way. Specifically, it will be more convenient for people to care for and harvest coffee. In addition, when there is a road, people will pay more attention to investing in producing high-quality coffee. It will certainly help attract many businesses to invest in tourism, thus promoting effective regional economic development.

Tuan said, that completed roads would facilitate local trade. Previously, it was difficult to transport agricultural materials and goods to the production area, especially in the rainy season.

Nguyen Tan Duy, Director of Phuong Hoang Cooperative, said that the inter-communal route Ia Krieng - Ia Kel has completed all legal procedures and will be built shortly. It is expected to be completed in seven months.

“In the past, it was difficult to travel here, so transporting coffee faced many difficulties, pushing production costs. As the traffic system is improved, people's access to the coffee production area will be more convenient, "said Duy.