Construction started on Monday on an instant coffee plant at Nhon Trach 3 Industrial Park in the southern province of Dong Nai.

With a total registered investment of US$28 million in its first phase, the Tin Nghia Corporation’s plant is designed to churn out 3,200 tonnes of coffee products per year when it becomes operational in 2018.

The factory will help improve the value and brand of Vietnamese coffee, said Dinh Quoc Thai, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

Viet Nam is the world’s large exporter of Robusta coffee, making annual export earnings of $3 – 3.2 billion, said Luong Van Tu, Chairman of the Viet Nam Coffee and Cocoa Association.

However, he also noted that raw coffee accounts for 90 per cent of the country’s exports, while global demand for instant coffee is on the rise.

Viet Nam has opportunities to become a world-leading instant coffee producer thanks to abundant source of Robusta coffee, which is the main ingredient to process instant coffee, Tu added.

Tin Nghia Corporation is one of Dong Nai’s largest enterprises, and its instant coffee products will be consumed in Northern America, Europe and some Asian – Pacific countries. — VNS