Coffee farmers in the Central Highlands Province of Lam Dong are complaining about their coffee trees being cut down and beans in their houses being stolen due to rising prices.

Thefts have been reported in many districts in the coffee metropolis of Lam Ha, Duc Trong, Di Linh and Bao Lam. Thieves have cut down branches, leaving farmers worried about the future productivity of their plantations.

Phan Van Linh’s family in Di Linh District have over three hectares of coffee trees. They have worked hard to improve the soil, and planted new coffee plants to boost production. But they hadn't even begun harvesting before thieves stole from dozens of coffee trees.

Linh said normally, thefts only occurred when the coffee beans were ripe. But this year the beans were even being stolen when they are still green.

"They cut off most of the branches, we'll incur losses next year. We had a good crop and high prices yet we have so many things to worry about, there’s hardly time to celebrate," he said. 

Vu Van Tuong, a local in Kon Tum Province, also suffered from the brutal thefts. "They’re so cruel. If they just brought a bag in to carry the beans, the trees would still bear fruits next year. It'll take at least three years to recover when they cut the branches like this," he said.

Thieves have also broken into homes to steal the harvested coffee beans. 47-year-old Pham Thi Lan said over 500kg of coffee beans had been stolen from her house.

According to the growers, thieves have targeted coffee producers because prices have increased to VND45,000 (USD2) a kilo. Traders already start buying coffee beans. Some growers suspected that their hired workers are thieves.

Duong Tan Duc in Kon Tum Province, said last year, the thieves even drove a truck into the garden and chopped off the whole trees. "We're putting up tents to stand guard overnight," he said.

Other growers hire guards to keep their crops safe. Hoa, a local, said his four-member group had been hired to guard 20 hectares of coffee. They are paid VND1m (USD45) per hectare. "The thieves are active during lunch and dusk. Just a moment of carelessness and they will act," he said.

Tong Thanh Hoang, head of the police force in Tan Chau Commune, Lam Dong Province, said many localities had established security forces, including veterans, village heads and police, to deal with thefts. "We’re determining specific locations that need to be monitored regularly and we’ll work with the district police to curb the problem," he said.

Tran Dinh Sy, chairman of Di Linh District, said at least 10 thefts had occurred in Dinh Trang Hoa Commune, causing hundreds of millions of VND in damage.

Nguyen Duc Tai, chairman of Lam Ha District, said they had asked traders and middlemen not to buy unripened coffee beans especially if the sellers were suspicious.

Dtinews