Son La farmers promote the application of scientific and technological advances in coffee cultivation

Deploying smart coffee farming models

Son La is the locality with the largest Arabica coffee growing area in the country. In order to produce high-quality coffee products to meet the demands of the domestic and export markets, localities have stepped up training, consulting, and guiding farmers on planting techniques, care, and pest control, helping coffee trees grow well and bring high economic efficiency.

Son La Farmers’ Association in collaboration with Binh Dien – Ninh Binh Joint Stock Company implemented the “smart coffee farming model” in Hua La commune, Son La city. The model was deployed in 7-10 year old coffee and tea gardens (after pruning) of 3 households with a total area of ​​nearly 2 hectares, implemented in the 2024-2025 crop year. The model was tested in the form of a comparison between coffee gardens fertilized according to farmers’ practices and coffee gardens using fertilizers from Binh Dien – Ninh Binh Joint Stock Company.

Speaking to reporters, Ms. Ho Thi Thanh Hoa, Vice President of the Farmers’ Association of Son La province, said: When participating in the model, farmers will be instructed on techniques for cultivating coffee trees to cope with climate change such as: How to plant, prune, create canopy, and prevent pests and diseases for trees. In particular, households will be instructed on how to use fertilizers and fertilize coffee trees according to each growth stage, helping the trees grow well.

As one of the localities with the largest coffee growing area in the province, Son La city currently has nearly 5,000 hectares of coffee, concentrated in the communes of Hua La, Chieng Den, Chieng Co, Chieng Ngan, Chieng An ward and Chieng Sinh ward. Based on the needs of farmers, the City Agricultural Service Center sends staff directly to villages and households to provide training and technical guidance in the form of hand-holding.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Uoc, Director of the Agricultural Service Center of Son La City, informed: Since the beginning of the year, the Center has coordinated with professional agencies to provide advice and guidance on post-harvest care, fertilization, pruning and pest control techniques for coffee farmers.

Through propaganda, mobilization, and technology transfer activities, farmers’ thinking and awareness in coffee cultivation have changed. Farmers have focused on applying scientific and technological advances to production, applying safe farming processes according to VietGAP and UTZ standards; using water-saving irrigation systems, using organic fertilizers, introducing new coffee varieties into production and cultivation to improve the productivity and quality of coffee in the area.

In addition, every year, agricultural extension officers provide free technical advice and guidance according to each stage of coffee garden development for 5-8 households to build pilot models; agricultural extension officers accompany households for 2-3 years until they are proficient and have a firm grasp of coffee care techniques. After that, participating households will be the core in propagating and transferring science and technology to other farming households.

Mr. Lo Van Liem, Lua village, Hua La commune, Son La city shared: This year is the third year that my family has applied the technique of pruning branches and creating canopy for coffee trees. With the support of agricultural extension officers, my family has applied the correct and sufficient techniques for planting and caring for coffee effectively. Since being properly cared for, more than 2 hectares of coffee have grown healthily, with few pests and diseases, large, even fruits that ripen at the same time, making harvesting easy, and the yield is twice as high as previous years.

Up to now, the City has replanted 210 hectares of coffee with new varieties, many old coffee areas have been focused on renovation. Of which, about 18 hectares of THA1 coffee have yielded fruit, with an estimated yield of 28 tons of fresh fruit/ha, an increase of 20-25% compared to the owl variety, with large, even fruit and good quality.

Applying scientific and technological advances to coffee cultivation

Mr. Vuong Van Hai, Chairman of Son La Coffee Association informed: Son La is not only known as the capital of fruit trees, Son La is also known as the land with the largest area of ​​​​coffee in the country. Present in the land since 1945, Arabica coffee has become the main crop in Son La. With a large planting area of ​​about 17,000 hectares.

Coffee is grown mainly in the districts of Mai Son, Thuan Chau, Yen Chau and Son La City (Son La) with an estimated annual output of 35,000 – 40,000 tons, bringing high income to farmers. Thanks to coffee, the lives of people in the highlands are prosperous, they have escaped poverty and become rich.

In the coming crop year, to achieve the highest coffee yield, Son La Coffee Association has coordinated with specialized units, focusing on instructing farmers on how to care for coffee after harvest such as pruning, fertilizing, and preventing pests and diseases.

Due to the characteristics of coffee trees, after each harvest, it is necessary to prune branches, water and fertilize at the right time for the tree to achieve high productivity. Therefore, people need to increase the amount of fertilizer to help the tree have enough strength to nourish branches and fruits. To ensure irrigation water in the context of climate change, people need to apply water-saving irrigation measures and water properly to avoid water shortage at the end of the season.