On the morning of March 11, in the city of Buon Ma Thuot, the People's Committee of Dak Lak Province coordinated with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to organize the International Trade Connection Conference 2023. This is an event within the framework of the 8th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival 2023.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Ha, Dak Lak’s Standing Vice Chairman, emphasized: Dak Lak’s coffee has been exported to more than 70 markets globally, with an output of 429,065 tons (2021-2022 crop year) and a total export turnover of more than 819 million USD, accounting for 21% of Vietnam’s coffee export value.

Director of the Trade Promotion Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade Vu Ba Phu expected that enterprises, cooperatives, and business households in Dak Lak province will expand the market, penetrating the world coffee supply chain, building a solid position for Buon Ma Thuot coffee, so that the city will be worthy of being the capital of Central Highlands coffee in particular, of Vietnam in general, and rising to be a destination of the world's coffee.

According to Phu, coffee is one of the agricultural products that brings high economic value for Vietnam. As the world's second largest coffee producer and exporter, Vietnam’s coffee products have been exported to 80 countries and territories, with an export volume of nearly 1.8 million tons and a turnover of more than 4 billion USD/year.

Dak Lak is one of the provinces with impressive growth in export turnover. In 2022, Dak Lak's coffee export revenue reached about 813 million USD, accounting for 20% of the country's coffee export turnover.

With a natural area of more than 1.3 million hectares, Dak Lak has 627,000 hectares of high-value long-term industrial crops such as coffee, rubber, pepper... With fertile red basalt soil, located at an average altitude of 800m above sea level, Dak Lak is particularly suitable for coffee growing.

Therefore, for a long time, Dak Lak's coffee tree has become a key crop with confirmed quality, high economic value, creating a stable source of income.

The potential and resources in exporting coffee and products processed from coffee of Dak Lak province are still huge. Relevant sectors and local businesses need to come up with appropriate solutions such as: Strengthening support for farmer households and businesses to improve product quality and build brands to expand export, upgrade themselves, accepting new and more difficult rules of the game to go deeper and reach higher value stages in the global supply and distribution chain.

Based on the advantages of Dak Lak's coffee products, on July 9, 2020, the Government issued Resolution 103/NQ-CP on promulgating the Government's Action Program to implement Conclusion No. 67- KL/TW dated December 16, 2019 of the Politburo on building and developing Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak province to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Industry and Trade was assigned by the Government to preside and coordinate with related ministries, agencies and localities to develop promotion programs for high-quality Vietnamese coffee brands associated with geographical indications. Currently, relevant ministries and agencies, according to their functions and tasks, are completing the contents to submit to the Prime Minister for approval.

This year's trade connection conference is a new activity to promote the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee brand and elevate the Vietnamese coffee industry to a new position.

Within the framework of the event, there were also activities to display and introduce products of businesses; promote the potential and investment opportunities in coffee production, coffee processing of Dak Lak province and other localities.

The 2023 International Trade Connection Conference plays a very important role in connecting buyers and sellers, exporters and importers, as well as domestic and international businesses.

The event also created conditions and opportunities for businesses, cooperatives, and business households in Dak Lak province to meet with partners, expand markets, and penetrate into the world coffee supply chain, firmly building a position for Buon Ma Thuot coffee as the capital of Central Highlands coffee in particular, of Vietnam in general, and striving to become a destination for world coffee.

Quynh Nga