Vietnam, Indonesia step up cooperation in coffee sector

The event was attended by representatives from Indonesian diplomatic agencies in Vietnam, ministries, sectors and 25 Indonesian and Vietnamese firms, including Kapal Api Group, Sabani International, Me Trang Coffee, Minh Tien Coffee, Thai Hoa Coffee and Hapro Distribution.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Ibnu Hadi said the event aims to enhance ties between Indonesia and Vietnam in the coffee sector, contributing to realising the two-way trade target of US$10 billion by 2020.

According to the Ambassador, Vietnam and Indonesia recorded an increase of 16.36% in trade value to US$6.5 billion in 2017, of which Vietnam imported US$3.63 billion worth of products from the country, up 22.52% year on year.

Vietnam and Indonesia are the world’s second and fourth biggest coffee exporters, respectively.

The two ASEAN members produce 80% of the world’s coffee output, Hadi said.

Indonesia has 1.25 million hectares of coffee growing area, while Vietnam’s figure is 662,000 hectares.