The Central Highlands, Vietnam’s key coffee-growing region with about 470,000 hectares under coffee (over 92% of the country’s total), has entered the dry season—normally the time when coffee trees require intensive irrigation to induce flowering. Yet in recent days, a tropical low over the southern East Sea has brought unseasonal showers, creating unexpected problems for coffee farmers.
Light Drizzles Bring More Harm Than Help
Table of Contents
Dak Lak—Heart of the Coffee Belt
In Đắk Lắk Province, we visited Cư M’gar District, where farmer Hồ Văn Hanh in Ea H’đing Commune was preparing pumps and hoses for irrigation despite the rain.
When asked why he would irrigate during rainfall, Hanh explained:
“This kind of drizzle doesn’t count. It actually makes things worse.”
Flower Loss and Irrigation Challenges
Early Irrigators Face Flower Drop
Hanh noted that many families began their first irrigation for the 2010 crop a week ago. Normally, after a thorough watering, coffee trees bloom. But if flowers have just opened and rain falls, the flowers drop prematurely, leading to significant crop losses.
Late Irrigators Struggle with “Lemon Buds”
For those who had not yet irrigated, the drizzle is no blessing:
-
Each coffee tree needs 500–1,000 liters of water in the first irrigation to trigger full flowering.
-
The drizzle provides only a fraction of that, leaving buds stunted and unable to open—known as “lemon buds.”
To save the crop, farmers who have not yet watered must now rush to irrigate, or risk poor yields next season, increasing production costs.
Economic Impact
Rather than saving money, the unseasonal showers are costing Central Highlands coffee growers dearly:
-
Trees that had just bloomed suffered flower loss.
-
Farmers who delayed irrigation must now irrigate urgently, facing higher expenses.
-
Only coffee plots that had already flowered before the rain gained any advantage, as the cooler weather allows farmers to delay the next irrigation.
Despite some media reports claiming these rains saved farmers billions of đồng, on-the-ground findings show the opposite effect.
The off-season tropical rains have disrupted the delicate flowering cycle of Central Highlands coffee, threatening next year’s harvest and increasing production costs. Far from being a relief, these unseasonal showers have become a hidden hazard for Vietnam’s coffee growers, underlining the need for careful irrigation management and timely agricultural responses.