Extreme weather threatens Vietnam's Robusta coffee production, underscoring need for climate adaptation

For the past seven to eight years, coffee growers in the region, particularly in Gia Lai Province, have struggled with prolonged dry seasons, water shortages, and trees dying from extreme heat.

This year's crop season, however, has brought excessive rainfall, disrupting coffee development.

Coffee yields, quality hit by extreme weather

Nguyen Van An (name changed), a farmer with 30 years of experience in Gia Lai's Bien Ho Commune, said weather patterns had become increasingly unpredictable since around 2018, alternating between severe drought and prolonged rainfall.

His area experienced more than two consecutive months of almost continuous rain this year, affecting coffee trees during early fruit development.

Excessive moisture caused cherries to develop poorly, resulting in undersized beans and lower yields.

Most beans from his first early-season harvest failed to meet Grade 1 standards, instead falling into Grades 2 and 3, he said.

His coffee output is expected to fall by around 20 percent from the previous crop, with smaller beans also fetching lower prices.

Another grower, Ta Thi Huyen in Ia Hrung Commune, expects her 3-hectare farm to produce less than 50 metric tons of fresh cherries this year, down from around 60 metric tons last year.

She said prolonged rainfall had also encouraged fungal diseases, mealybugs and anthracnose, causing young cherries to drop, while rain washed away pesticides shortly after application, reducing their effectiveness.

Climate risks extend across the supply chain

A Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper's survey of growers in three coffee-producing areas in Gia Lai also found that excessive rainfall had reduced yields during the 2026 crop season.

Le Van Thanh, director of the Ia Mo Nong Agricultural Cooperative in Ia Ly Commune, said unpredictable weather was affecting both coffee yields and bean quality.

The cooperative has nearly 300 members cultivating 330 hectares of coffee. Thanh said growers needed better farming techniques and more effective ways to apply fertilizers and pesticides to cope with extreme weather.

The impact also extends to processors and exporters, said Nguyen Manh Hung, CEO of Nghe An Province-headquartered Nafoods Group, a producer and exporter of green coffee beans and roasted coffee in the Central Highlands.

Businesses face risks of raw-material shortages, inconsistent bean quality, higher procurement costs, and difficulties meeting delivery commitments.

Hung warned that extreme drought, abnormal rainfall, and temperature fluctuations in major coffee-producing regions could reduce output, disrupt harvest schedules, and trigger price volatility in the global Robusta market.

Measures to build climate resilience

Hung proposed five groups of measures to help growers adapt to climate change.

These include selecting varieties suited to local conditions; improving water management and adopting water-saving irrigation; restoring soil health and diversifying farming practices; and using data to monitor weather, pests, and diseases.

He also called for stronger links among farmers, cooperatives, and businesses to improve technical support, traceability, and market access.

Vietnam should focus not only on Robusta production volumes but also on quality, added value, and sustainability, he said.

According to Gia Lai's Sub-Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, the province has nearly 109,000 hectares of coffee, mainly Robusta, with output exceeding 341,000 metric tons in 2025.

Some 45,530 hectares have been incorporated into production and marketing partnerships.

However, the sector remains constrained by fragmented smallholder production, inconsistent quality, and weak links between production and consumption, while importing markets are imposing stricter requirements on traceability, food safety, and pesticide residues.

Gia Lai aims to bring an additional 35,500 hectares into raw-material production areas linked to deeper processing by 2030.

The province is also promoting high-tech farming and production practices that meet organic, GAP, 4C and Rainforest Alliance standards to improve productivity and quality.