“DEVELOPMENT OF ROBUSTA COFFEE TREE IN VIETNAM”

1. Brief history of Vietnamese coffee

When it comes to Vietnamese coffee, it's certainly no stranger to coffee enthusiasts worldwide. Vietnam is among the top 5 coffee-producing countries globally, and notably, Vietnamese coffee brings an irresistibly charming flavor that's hard to describe. However, the history of Vietnamese coffee is perhaps still unknown to many. To talk about the history of coffee in Vietnam, we must go back to 1857 when the French (French missionaries) brought the first coffee plants to Vietnam from their plantations in the then Indochina. From there, the journey of coffee development in Vietnam officially began. Coffee plants underwent strong transformations, breaking free from colonial regimes, and today, coffee is likened to "black diamonds," becoming one of the highest-value export crops, elevating Vietnam to one of the leading positions on the world coffee map.

2. The inception of coffee in Vietnam

1857

The Arabica coffee variety, which Vietnamese people commonly refer to as "cà phê chè," was the first coffee variety introduced to Vietnam through French missionaries. It was experimented with in Catholic churches in northern provinces like Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh, and later spread to some central provinces like Quang Tri and Quang Binh. Finally, coffee was introduced to the southern provinces of the Central Highlands and the Southeast. It was here that people discovered that this was the dreamland for coffee cultivation.

1908

Half a century after Arabica coffee was planted in Vietnam, the French once again introduced two other types of coffee, Robusta (Coffea canephora) and Excelsa (Coffee Excelsa), to Vietnam. The French also experimented with various varieties from Congo in the Central Highlands and witnessed the very promising development of coffee in this region. Throughout the war and until 1986, many coffee-producing areas had developed, but very slowly and with low yields. In 1986, the total area nationwide dedicated to coffee production was only about 50,000 hectares, with a production volume of 18,400 tons (just over 300,000 bags of 60 kg).

In the early 20th century, with the three coffee varieties Arabica, Robusta, and Excelsa being cultivated together on northern plantations. Typica coffee with the Arabica variety, Canephora coffee with the Robusta variety, and Liberica coffee with the Excelsa variety. In 1930, Vietnam had 5,900 hectares of coffee, including 4,700 hectares of Arabica coffee, 900 hectares of Excelsa coffee, and 300 hectares of Robusta coffee.

After a long period of cultivating these three coffee varieties, observations were made regarding the coffee-growing regions:

• Arabica coffee plants did not yield desired results as they were susceptible to attacks by xylotrechus quadripes (bark-boring beetle) and Hemileia vastatrix (coffee leaf rust).

• Robusta coffee did not grow well in the North due to low winter temperatures compared to this plant's ecological requirements.

• Only Excelsa coffee grew vigorously, yielding fairly well, but its commercial value was low.

At that time, foreign experts recommended against planting Arabica coffee in Vietnam and suggested only planting Robusta coffee in the south and Excelsa coffee in the north.

1960-1970 Period

In northern Vietnam, a series of state-owned farms were established, including dozens of coffee farms, where all three coffee varieties were planted together. The coffee industry's development during these years was not very promising, and ultimately, by the early 1970s, it was concluded that coffee could not be grown in the north.

3. Reform efforts and a leap in production

1975

At this time, the entire country in both the northern and southern regions had only about 13,000 hectares with a production volume of about 6,000 tons. It was only after 1975 that the Vietnamese coffee industry entered a period of rapid and robust development.

1980

A coffee development program in Vietnam, initiated by the Ca Cao Coffee Company under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, was presented to the Permanent Council of Ministers and approved for implementation. This was followed by a series of cooperative coffee production agreements signed between the Vietnamese government and the Soviet Union (planting 20,000 hectares of coffee), East Germany (10,000 hectares), Hungary (5,000 hectares), Czechoslovakia (5,000 hectares), and Poland (5,000 hectares).

1982

The Vietnam Coffee Corporation (VCC) was established under Decree 174 of the Council of Ministers with the participation of three military corps and several companies under the Ministry of Agriculture and localities of Dak Lak, Gia Lai - Kon Tum. The coffee development program was expanded to the Central Highlands and Southeastern provinces. The selected coffee variety for expanding the area was Robusta coffee, a variety favored for its adaptability to hot and humid climates and minimal susceptibility to coffee leaf rust.

1986 - Turning Point

In 1986, the VCC (Vietnam Coffee Corporation) with the support of the Ministries of Agriculture, Planning, Finance, Foreign Trade, etc., organized the first National Coffee Conference for farmers in the Central Highlands, Central Coastal, and Southeastern regions, known as the First People's Coffee Conference. Alongside new policies and strong stimulation of coffee prices in the international market at that time, the Vietnamese coffee industry experienced rapid and robust growth.

Since 1986, the Vietnamese Government has focused its investment resources on the coffee sector with the aim of transforming coffee into a significant agricultural industry. In addition to state farms, the government also encouraged individual households to grow coffee. As a result, coffee production in Vietnam exploded in terms of area, output, and export value.

Until the late 1980s, the Vietnamese coffee industry introduced the Catimor coffee variety, a hybrid of Arabica coffee, into production. This marked the beginning of Arabica coffee cultivation in Vietnam with the disease-resistant Catimor variety. This also laid the foundation for the Vietnam Coffee Corporation to develop Arabica coffee programs in Vietnam.

4. Vietnamese coffee after more than a century - An incredible transformation

In the late 1990s, Vietnam became the leading coffee producer in Southeast Asia and the second-largest producer and exporter of green coffee in the world, following Brazil. Coffee production steadily increased by 20% -30% annually in the 1990s, with small coffee farms cultivated on half a million plots of land (from two to three hectares). This helped dramatically transform the economy. During the reform process, the coffee industry was nationalized, and private enterprises were expanded, leading to a surge in the coffee processing industry. The cooperative relationship between growers, producers, and the state yielded results in building branded coffee products and exporting retail products. Notable examples include Trung Nguyen Coffee in 1996 and Highlands Coffee in 1998.

5. Conclusion:

From 1857 to the present, Vietnamese coffee has undergone many transformative stages. It has been demonstrated that Vietnam is a land rich in coffee with delicious, bold flavors known worldwide. The coffee culture has deeply permeated Vietnamese society, with coffee becoming a morning staple for the Vietnamese people. Whether on the roadside or in upscale restaurants, coffee can seamlessly integrate into any setting. Vietnamese coffee has always been there, accompanying the honest coffee farmers, transforming countless destinies from poverty. Coffee is a wonderful companion that knows no grudges, only sharing in our joys as well as our sorrows and weariness.

S54 - Coffee