AsemconnectVietnam - On Tuesday, Robusta coffee prices in Vietnam's Central Highlands, the country's largest coffee-growing area remained unchanged at VND53,200 – VND53,900 per kg compared to Yesterday, according to Kinhtedothi.com.

Cư M'gar of Dak Lak provided the maximum price of VND53,900/kg, while traders in Lam Dong province offered the lowest price of VND53,200/kg. Robusta coffee stayed at VND53,200 per kg in Bao Loc, Di Linh, and Lam Ha; at VND53,800- 53,900 per kg in Dak Lak; at VND53,700-53,800 per kg in Dak Nong; at VND53,700 per kg in Kon Tum, and at VND53,600-53,700 per kg in Gia Lai.
Accordingly, Bloomberg cited sources that said that Vietnam's Robusta coffee output this year may fall to the lowest level in 4 years, as farmers focus more on growing durian.
The harvest could fall more than 7% year-on-year to 1.67 million tonnes, according to the median estimate of exporters and traders in a Bloomberg survey.
Last week, concerns about short-term supply shortage continued to support the bull market trend.
Statistics from the Vietnam General Department of Customs showed that Vietnam’s coffee export totalled more than 634,000 tonnes from the beginning of this year to April 15, lower than the result of 663,816 tonnes of the same period last year.
The drop in export volume occurred in the context that global coffee prices were at a high level, pushing up domestic prices to around 52,000 VND per kg, a record high, according to giacaphe.com.
Vietnam ranked second in the world in coffee exports last year, after Brazil, with nearly 1.8 million tonnes worth some 4 billion USD. More than 30% came from Dak Lak province, with the famous trademark and geographical indication “Buon Ma Thuot Coffee”.
However, Dak Lak and Vietnam at large still have no coffee brand in the top 10 most valuable in the world.
There are very few enterprises producing Vietnamese coffee brands for export to the world. Thailand, meanwhile, has premium coffee selling for 50-100 USD a cup at 5-star hotels around the world.
Vietnamese coffee remains in the low-value segment, and the country mainly exports raw materials, production is small scale, quality is uneven, and deep processing technology is limited. These are the challenges facing the coffee industry in building a national brand.
Following are domestic Robusta coffee prices on May 9, in Vietnam's Central Highlands: