Dak Lak shifts from coffee to cacao

Coffee farmers and enterprises in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) province of Dak Lak are increasingly using their old Robust coffee plantations with low yield to cultivate cacao.

Cacao offers far greater economic benefit, especially in areas not most suited to coffee cultivation, provincial officials have said.

Currently, fermented cacao is priced at VND58,000 (US$3.1) per kilo in the province, while a kilo of coffee fetches VND29,200 to VND30,200, according to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade.

Many farmers have also planted cacao in their cashew gardens, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Krong Ana Coffee Company is growing cacao on 300ha, getting a yield of 1.5-2 tonnes per ha. The October Coffee Company has replaced 250ha of low yielding coffee plants with cacao, and more than 150ha of the new crop has produced fruits with an output of nearly 2 tonnes per ha. The 715 C Plantation has also cut down most of its old Robusta coffee plants to grow other crops, including 150ha of cacao.

The Central Highlands Agro-Forestry Science and Technology Institute is developing cacao varieties with high quality and yield and has set up a nursery to provide the sapplings to farmers in the province.

The institute has also co-operated with local agricultural officials and companies to instruct farmers on proper cacao cultivation methods.

Dak Lak, which is one of the country’s leading producers of cacao, now grows the crop on more than 3,500ha, mostly in Ea Kar, Lak and Krong Ana districts.

Cacao has been grown in the province since 1997. The provincial People’s Committee has targeted to expand the area under cacao cultivation to 6,000ha by the end of this year.

Apart from the greater economic benefits, cacao has the advantage of being a drought resistant crop that yields fruit faster than coffee and also for a slightly longer period. While cacao bears fruits after 12-14 months of cultivation, coffee can take three to four years. Cacao also yields fruits for about 30 years, slightly longer than coffee which is productive for 20-25 years. — VNS

Tags: cacao, coffee