Although the 2009–2010 coffee harvest has only just begun, coffee growers in Đắk Nông are already scrambling to hire pickers. The harvest period is short, and the need to pick quickly to avoid theft has left many coffee farms “thirsty” for labor, pushing wages to unusually high levels.
Despite low coffee prices this year—only about 24,000–26,000 VND/kg—and widespread crop losses from heavy rains, pests, and aging trees, labor shortages have driven picking wages sharply higher.
By mid-October, in key coffee districts such as Đắk Mil, Đắk Song, Đắk R’lấp and the town of Gia Nghĩa, farmers were desperately seeking harvest workers. According to growers like Nguyễn Văn Dậu and Đặng Thanh Hùng (Thuận An, Đắk Mil), Vi Văn Sáng and Đậu Văn Cường (Thuận Hạnh, Đắk Song), and Nguyễn Thị Thơm and Chu Văn Duẩn (Nhân Cơ, Đắk R’lấp), even at the start of harvest, wages have risen 15,000–30,000 VND over previous years, averaging 90,000–100,000 VND per person per day, including meals. They expect wages to climb further at peak harvest.
At Gia Nghĩa bus station, farmer Nguyễn Thanh Bằng from Đắk R’moan had been waiting three days for workers. “In past years labor was cheaper and easy to find,” he said anxiously. “This year wages are already high and there’s no one to hire—even before peak harvest. Later it will be even harder.”
In Nhân Cơ commune, Đắk R’lấp, the search for pickers is the talk of the town. At the local market, as a north–south bus pulled in, five young men stepped off and were immediately surrounded by farmers and motorbike taxi drivers asking if they would pick coffee. One of them, Tài, from Núi Thành district in Quảng Nam—whose family had been hit hard by Typhoon No. 9—said, “If hired by the day it’s 90,000 VND per person; for a month it’s 2.5 million including food and lodging.” Despite the high rate, farmers quickly agreed. “My three-hectare coffee crop is ripening and I still have no one to guard it,” explained Hoàng Văn Tuấn of Đắk Wer. “Even if labor costs are higher, it’s cheaper than losing coffee to thieves.”
In Đắk Mil, the province’s key coffee district, the pressure is even greater. Phan Văn Hà from Đắk Sắc said, “Every year I come to the district bus station to find workers. This year, after five days I’ve only found two of the ten I need for my five hectares. Normally I hire about 15 strong workers to both harvest and guard the crop, but with wages at 90,000–100,000 VND per day, I may only hire 10—if I can even find them—while the coffee is ripening and vulnerable to theft.”
At the Đức Mạnh crossroads, at least ten people a day search for workers. Trần Thanh Hoàng of Đức Minh lamented, “This is my fourth trip in over a week and I still can’t find anyone. Wages have jumped to around 90,000 VND per day—20,000 higher than last year. I have no choice; if I haggle, I’ll get no one and risk losing my crop to thieves.”
According to Lữ Chí Cường, chairman of Đắk Mil district, the area has 18,420 ha of coffee with an expected yield of more than 40,000 tons. To harvest it all, the district needs an extra 20,000–30,000 seasonal workers from outside the province. Yet as the harvest begins, few outside workers have arrived. With seasonal labor scarce, wages are already 15–30% higher than last year.
The biggest worry now is theft: many farmers, unable to hire guards, are picking unripe (green) cherries to avoid losing their crop. To protect coffee farms, the district government has ordered local authorities, police, militia, and border guards to coordinate protection and has banned dealers and households from buying unripe cherries before the main harvest. Violators will face penalties, including confiscation and destruction of substandard coffee. Officials also urge farmers to follow proper harvesting techniques (industry standard 10TCN 100-88) and good post-harvest practices to meet the TCVN 4193:2005 quality standard.