Central Highlands reduces coffee area
The Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong and Gia Lai have replaced thousands of hectares of unproductive coffee trees with other plants which have higher economic values such as perennial fruit trees, cashew and pepper.
According to the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands Region, since 2012, the provinces have encouraged locals to reduce the coffee area for the sector’s sustainable development.
In several years ago, because of high profits from coffee, local people illegally destroyed forests, even protective ones, to expand coffee cultivation areas. As a result, the region’s land use plan was broken and areas for other trees were narrowed down.
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| Farmers cultivate coffee in Gla commune, Dak Doa district, Gia Lai province. |
During the last dry season, the Central Highlands provinces had over 134,594ha of withered coffee trees due to water shortage, leading to a decrease in productivity or total loss.
Dak Lak province suffered the most with 68,780ha of coffee withered and about 5,000ha lost.
