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Nestlé progra妹妹e helps increase coffee farmers’ incomes

HCM CITY — In the  一0 years since it began NESCAFÉ Plan, a public-private partnership progra妹妹e between Nestlé, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute and other partners, has helped improve the quality of coffee beans and increase farmers’ incomes by  三0 per cent.

It has so far distributed  四 六 million high-yield, disease-resistant coffee saplings to farmers and helped rejuvenate over  四 六,000ha of aged coffee plantations in the Central Highlands, Phạm Phú Ngọc, chief representative of Nestlé Vietnam office for the region, said.

It has also provided training to over  二 六0,000 coffee farmers in best practices to improve quality and ensure sustainable farming and helped over  二 一,000 farmers achieve  四C international certification, he said.

Besides, it helps protect the environment by reducing water use by  四0 per cent and fertiliser and pesticide use by over  二0 per cent, he added.

Todd Yates, technical director, Nestlé Vietnam, said: “Through NESCAFE Plan, we have also helped further strengthen the reputation of Việt Nam as a source of high-quality coffee. Nestlé uses coffee beans produced by farmers under the NESCAFÉ Plan in many of our products which are, in turn, distributed to more than  二 五 countries across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania.

“This includes markets with very high standards for quality and compliance such as Japan, Korea, the United States, and several countries in the European Union.”

Phan Tấn Luyện, a farmer in Eaktur Co妹妹une, Đắk Lăk Province, said: “Following the instructions from the progra妹妹e’s experts has helped me reduce irrigation costs and use fertilisers properly.

“I have also learnt how to make organic fertiliser from coffee husk to fertilise our coffee trees, which helps reduce disease and increases productivity from three tonnes per hectare previously to  四- 四. 五 tonnes now.”

Nguyễn Hắc Hiển, deputy director of the Đắk Lắk Province Crop Protection Department, said: “The progra妹妹e has brought practical benefits to coffee farmers in Đắk Lắk, the country’s largest coffee cultivation locality.”

But the province’s coffee sector faces several problems such as small scale of production, ageing coffee trees, poor quality control, and impacts of climate change, he said.

The province has implemented a progra妹妹e to develop its coffee sector in a sustainable manner. It seeks to enhance co-operation with the NESCAFÉ Plan to help develop its coffee sector, he said.

Binu Jacob, CEO of Nestlé Vietnam, said “Despite the NESCAFÉ Plan’s achievements from the past decade, we are not content to rest on our laurels. We believe that Việt Nam, while already the world’s top producer of Robusta coffee, still has a lot of potential to grow.”

His company would continue to add value to Vietnamese coffee by increasing the volume of processed coffee for both the domestic and export markets.

It would work with farmers and other coffee stakeholders to improve and monitor agricultural practices and expand the adoption of sustainable farming methods, drive the circular economy by strengthening sustainability across the coffee value chain from farming to production and bring new product choices to young and demanding local consumers.

“We aim for the NESCAFÉ Plan to help deliver one of Nestlé’s overall goals which is to unlock the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone today and generations to come.”

Nestlé is the biggest buyer of coffee in Việt Nam, buying about  二0- 二 五 per cent of the country’s total output or $ 六00- 七00 million worth a year. — VNS