Month: July 2017

The participants of the questionnaire gave each threat a ranking according to their priority on a scale of 0-5. After gathering the results of the questionnaires, the 5 barriers were placed in the order of based on the rankings provided by the questionnaire participants;

1. Weather/post-harvest
2. Irrigation
3. Coffee quality
4. Fertilisers
5. Pests & diseases

By gaining the order of priority of each threat, it is possible to gain an understanding on which threats should be addressed first and what kind of projects will be undertaken in the area.

In order to gain more information of the coffee sector, a questionnaire was made to ask stakeholders of the area, over a 3 week period. The stakeholders were predominantly from the private sector, as the private sector works closest with the local farmers. The stakeholder groups that partook in the questionnaire were;

• Roasters
• Traders
• Coffee platforms
• Input suppliers
• Government and research institutes

The Robusta coffee sector in the Central Highlands is predominantly unsustainable. Monocropping is the main system being used in the Central Highlands, highly affecting the diversity of the area. Other agricultural practices further hinder the sustainability of the area. For this project, the 5 main barriers to sustainability focused upon are;

• Coffee quality,
• Pests and diseases
• Irrigation
• Fertilisers
• Weather/post-harvest.

The aim of this project is to gain an understanding on the priority of these issues and to uncover potential solutions to such problems in the sector.

Vietnam is the 2nd largest exporter of Robusta coffee in the world. Robusta coffee is mostly considered as a lower quality coffee, in comparison to Arabica. This is due to Robusta having a harsh flavour in comparison to the delicate flavours of Arabica, which has caused Robusta’s export price to be half that of Arabica. Although, Robusta still remains popular with roasters due to its caffeine content being higher than that of Arabica, it is used for cheaper blends, instant coffees, and is often mixed in small quantities with Arabica. Robusta coffee is a lot easier grown that Arabica, it requires a less specific temperature range for growth than Arabica, as well as being more resilient to external stresses. Almost 600,000 ha in the Central Highlands is dedicated to coffee crops, 95% of which is Robusta coffee. Coffee in the Central Highlands is predominantly grown in a monocropping system.