GIA LAI
GIA LAI: A specialty of Gia Lai
Gia Lai is one of the earliest coffee-growing localities in the Central Highlands. People have grown many cultivars of coffee on this rich basalt including Arabica and Liberica. However, the most suitable coffee for this place is Robusta coffee - "Robot Warrior" with high caffeine content, strong flavor, and unforgettable flavor.
Robusta - a specialty of Gia Lai
Gia Lai has been contributing a large part to Vietnam's Robusta coffee export industry with large reserves of coffee. As of 2019, the total coffee-growing area in Gia Lai is 97,200 hectares, of which, Robusta coffee accounts for nearly 94,000 hectares with an average yield of 15–20 tons/hectare.
The Robusta coffee growing localities in Gia Lai include Chu Se district, Dak Doa district, Ia Grai district, and Chu Prong district. In particular, Dak Doa has up to 27,000 hectares of coffee cultivated land - accounting for 55% of agricultural land, with an average output of 70,000 tons of coffee beans/year. Coffee is the main source of income for many farmers and contributes to stable economic development.
The quality of Robusta coffee in Gia Lai is also highly appreciated for its outstanding caffeine content. Coffee flavor at Chu Se and Dak Doa seems to be richer and stronger than coffee in Ia Grai, Chu Prong. However, this difference is so small that only connoisseurs or industry insiders can recognize it.
The difficulties of Gia Lai Robusta coffee
Like other localities in the Central Highlands, Gia Lai people face many difficulties in cultivation because of the erratic weather. Although the 2020 crop has not ended yet, many farmers said that coffee yield decreased sharply compared to previous years. On average, each hectare can create 18–20 tons of fresh coffee annually, but this year only 12–13 tons/hectare is harvested. The biggest reason is the late rainy season, little rainfall, while storms occurred, making farmers unable to care for their crops.
As a perennial coffee-growing area, Gia Lai has vast old lands in need of reclamation. Although there are 97,200 hectares of land for coffee cultivation, only 83,200 hectares are available and the rest need replanting. Moreover, coffee-growing and processing techniques in Gia Lai are not high. Farmers still use outdated farming methods with plenty of chemicals and pesticides that affecting productivity and quality.
Gia Lai Robusta coffee brand has not been positioned in the market, although its quality is not inferior to coffee from other countries and territories. The biggest reason is that the Vietnamese usually export the raw material, not branded products. It also makes the price of coffee here is not high and lacks competitiveness.
The difficulties of Gia Lai Robusta coffee
Like other localities in the Central Highlands, Gia Lai people face many difficulties in cultivation because of the erratic weather. Although the 2020 crop has not ended yet, many farmers said that coffee yield decreased sharply compared to previous years. On average, each hectare can create 18–20 tons of fresh coffee annually, but this year only 12–13 tons/hectare is harvested. The biggest reason is the late rainy season, little rainfall, while storms occurred, making farmers unable to care for their crops.
As a perennial coffee-growing area, Gia Lai has vast old lands in need of reclamation. Although there are 97,200 hectares of land for coffee cultivation, only 83,200 hectares are available and the rest need replanting. Moreover, coffee-growing and processing techniques in Gia Lai are not high. Farmers still use outdated farming methods with plenty of chemicals and pesticides that affecting productivity and quality.
Gia Lai Robusta coffee brand has not been positioned in the market, although its quality is not inferior to coffee from other countries and territories. The biggest reason is that the Vietnamese usually export the raw material, not branded products. It also makes the price of coffee here is not high and lacks competitiveness.