The statement was made on November 11 at a press conference on the first Vietnamese Coffee Day, scheduled to take place in the Central Highlands resort city of Da Lat from December 9 until 11.

According to Chairman of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association Luong Van Tu, Vietnam’s coffee has seen remarkable growth in the last 30 years from accounting for 1% of global output in 1991 to the current 20%.

However, the sector has been significantly affected by climate change in recent years, notably the drought in 2016, which was the worst in 30 years.

At the same time the coffee growing area that needs replanting over the next five years amounts to 160,000 hectares, but the progress in Central Highlands provinces has been rather slow.

Tu said there is still much room for Vietnam’s coffee export growth as long as the sector could secure enough loans for replanting and take measures to improve coffee output and the quality of process products.

He added that many of coffee plants in Vietnam have grown old after 30 years, therefore the first priority should be cultivating a new generation of coffee plants in order for Vietnam’s coffee exports to double to US$6 billion in the next 15 years.

As part of the celebrations of Vietnamese Coffee Day, a workshop will be held on a new stage of development for Vietnam’s coffee sector, attracting delegates from many coffee growing countries in the world.

There will also be a space to display and introduce Vietnam’s famous coffee products where visitors will be able to taste the country’s high-quality coffee and learn about coffee processing in Lam Dong province.