Even at the very start of the 2010–2011 coffee harvest, farmers across Vietnam’s Central Highlands were already scrambling to find enough workers. Coffee farms were “thirsty” for labor. With the local workforce unable to meet demand, plantation owners had to hire workers from other provinces—bringing with it a host of complications.
Everywhere, a Rush to Find Coffee Pickers
In key coffee-growing districts such as Ia Grai and Đăk Đoa (Gia Lai), Đăk Song, Đăk R’lấp, and Gia Nghĩa (Đăk Nông), Đăk Hà (Kon Tum), and Cư M’gar and Krông Păk (Đăk Lăk), coffee growers were “running all over” to hire harvest labor. Farmers in Ia Grai said each hectare requires dozens of pickers—double that if they follow official recommendations to pick only ripe cherries. Nguyễn Đức Ánh, owner of an 8-hectare coffee farm in Ia Kha township (Ia Grai, Gia Lai), explained: “By this time every year I have to secure a workforce. Last week I called my usual contacts in Thanh Hóa and Nam Định; they promised to arrive in two days, but I still haven’t seen them.”
On National Highway 19 in Đăk Đoa town—where workers from lowland provinces gather—many farmers were waiting roadside to recruit pickers. Trần Văn Nhơn from Ia Grai worried: “I’m expecting two workers from Hà Tĩnh, but they haven’t shown up all morning.” His 2-hectare farm needs about 10 pickers; so far he has found only five.
Previously, before coffee theft became rampant, farmers could trade labor with neighbors. But rising theft has pushed everyone to harvest early to protect their crop, intensifying the labor shortage. Lê Văn Vinh of Đăk La commune (Đăk Hà, Kon Tum) said: “Three years ago, daily wages were only 30,000–40,000 VND. Now they’re 90,000–100,000 VND, yet it’s still hard to find people. And not everyone knows how to pick coffee—without guidance they can break branches or strip leaves, lowering next year’s yield. Some inexperienced workers can’t even pick 100 kg a day, so you need many more hands.”
Growing Concerns
With over 430,000 hectares of coffee now entering harvest, the region needs a huge seasonal workforce. Local labor cannot fill the gap, so growers rely heavily on migrants from other provinces. According to leaders of the Chư Pah Coffee Company (Gia Lai), this year will see a particularly large influx of outside workers.
But the arrival of so many seasonal laborers brings social problems—drinking, gambling, and disturbances. Phạm Khắc Sĩ of Đăk Min (Đăk Nông) recounted that after finishing their day’s picking, some hired workers would “glean” coffee from other farms. “If the owner tries to stop them, they respond with threats,” he said. “Last year I hired 15 workers. At first everything was fine, but toward the end of the season some of them started drinking right in the fields, arguing loudly, even fighting. I had to send them away before the harvest was finished.”