As the largest Arabica coffee region in Vietnam, Son La is focusing on various solutions to achieve sustainable development and increase the value of its coffee beans.

Information presented at the seminar "Sustainable Development and Value Enhancement of Son La Coffee," co-organized by the People's Committee of Son La Province in collaboration with the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and the Vietnam Coffee - Cacao Association on the afternoon of October 21st, reveals that coffee has been cultivated in Son La since the 1990s, covering over 278 hectares.

Today, the province has expanded its coffee cultivation to more than 20,000 hectares of Arabica coffee, accounting for 41.2% of the country's total Arabica coffee cultivation area and making Son La the largest province in terms of Arabica coffee cultivation. Of these, nearly 18,000 hectares have received sustainability certifications such as RA, 4C, and VietGAP, producing over 200,000 tons of fresh coffee cherries with an estimated value of over 2,045 billion VND.

Currently, Son La Province has been recognized for two high-tech coffee application areas, covering 1,039.5 hectares and involving 1,560 households. The province is also working to establish and maintain a secure coffee supply chain.

Notably, Son La has four coffee products that have been granted OCOP (One Commune, One Product) recognition, including one five-star product and three four-star products. This demonstrates the high quality of Son La coffee products. Throughout the province, there are nine industrial-scale coffee processing facilities, with five units engaged in deep coffee product processing.

In a significant development to enhance the value of Son La coffee, the Son La Coffee Processing Plant was inaugurated on October 21st, as part of the 2023 Son La Coffee Festival. This new facility is expected to play a pivotal role in the region's coffee industry.

The processing plant, spanning an area of approximately 4.1 hectares, comprises various essential components, including processing workshops, finished product warehouses, coffee drying areas, office spaces, quality control laboratories, wastewater treatment management offices, wastewater treatment tanks, coffee drying yards, internal road networks, green spaces, and auxiliary buildings.

Of particular significance is the closed-loop production process, wherein coffee husks and by-products from the processing are utilized as raw materials for the production of organic fertilizers at the Sông Lam Northwest Fertilizer Plant.

Looking ahead to 2030, Son La Province has set ambitious goals, including the cultivation of 25,000 hectares of coffee, the production of 40,000 tons of coffee beans, the implementation of replanting on 9,800 hectares, the development of 5,950 hectares of specialty coffee, and the establishment of 18,000 hectares of coffee cultivation areas meeting sustainable standards.

The province is also committed to forming and developing five coffee regions applying high-tech agricultural practices and aims to export 30,000 tons of green coffee beans to international markets, including Germany, the United States, Brazil, the Netherlands, and various South American countries.

According to Congthuong.vn