A worker of the Thang Loi Coffee Company in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak water coffee trees. — VNA/VNS Photo Pham Cuong

Viet Nam’s coffee sector targets earning US$5-6 billion from exports by 2030, the Viet Nam Coffee and Cocoa Association (VCCA) said.

During a press briefing in HCM City late last week to introduce activities within the framework of Viet Nam Coffee Day (December 10), VCCA Chairman Luong Van Tu said the sector is restructuring itself to improve competitiveness.

To achieve the goal, the sector plans to adopt advanced and eco-friendly technologies to increase the rate of processing products of high added value, including instant and ground coffee, to 30 per cent from the current 10 per cent.

Over the past years, coffee has become an important agricultural product of the country, generating jobs for millions of workers and raking in billions of dollars from export to 80 countries worldwide.

Viet Nam’s coffee currently accounts for 15 per cent of global consumption. The country is the world’s largest robusta coffee producer and exporter and the second largest producer of coffee beans.

To develop the coffee industry, the Prime Minister recently designated December 10, the day President Ho Chi Minh visited Dong Hieu coffee plantation in the central province of Nghe An 55 years ago, as “Viet Nam Coffee Day.”

The festival “Viet Nam Coffee Day 2016” is slated for December 8-11 in HCM City with a range of activities, including a ceremony to announce the PM’s decision on Viet Nam Coffee Day, coffee tasting sessions, an event to honour individuals and organisations who are dedicated to the sector, an announcement of the list of prestigious coffee manufacturers and processors and several seminars.

The event is expected to allow businesses to seek partners and market their products to domestic and foreign consumers. — VNS