Đắk Lắk Province—Vietnam’s coffee capital—has entered the early rainy season, normally the best time to plant coffee and other crops. Yet this year farmers are facing an unprecedented shortage of coffee seedlings and sharply higher prices.
Seedling Stocks Nearly Sold Out
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Around the Central Highlands Agro-Forestry Science and Technology Institute (Hòa Thắng Commune, Buôn Ma Thuột City), dozens of seedling businesses have almost sold out despite stocking up in advance.
“When a customer asked for seedlings for a 3-hectare plot, all we could show was a small display,” said one nursery owner. Other shops report that most seedlings are already pre-ordered; what remains are small plants with curled leaves.
Prices Climb to Multi-Year Highs
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Ordinary seed-grown plants: 4,000–6,000 VND each
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Grafted seedlings: 14,000–16,000 VND each
These prices are about 500 VND higher than usual and roughly 1,500–2,000 VND higher than at the start of the rainy season.
Farmer Trần Đức Ninh in Krông Ana District said he needed 300 seedlings to replant 0.5 ha of dead coffee. “I visited several shops and finally paid 5,000 VND per plant,” he said.
Official Supply and Guidance
According to Dr. Phan Viết Hà, Deputy Director of the Central Highlands Agro-Forestry Science and Technology Institute, the institute supplies 5–6 tons of seed and about 1.5 million seedlings each year—enough for roughly 5,000 ha.
This year its own prices remain 3,500–4,000 VND per seedling for seed-grown plants and 8,000 VND for grafted plants, slightly higher than private nurseries due to management and research costs but with guaranteed origin and certified mother plants.
Dr. Hà cautions farmers to replant only in planned areas, replacing old or low-yield coffee plots rather than expanding indiscriminately.
Rising Input Costs and Market Risks
For households replanting large areas, the higher cost of seedlings and other farm inputs is a significant financial burden—especially with future coffee prices uncertain.
Đắk Lắk currently has about 202,000 ha of coffee, mostly in stable production. Experts attribute the shortage to record-high coffee prices, which have spurred farmers to replant aging plots, reclaim land from other crops, and even invest in new coffee fields—while the supply of quality seedlings has not kept pace.
Warning on Quality
Agricultural specialists warn that the rush to plant could lead to unverified or poor-quality seedlings entering the market. Farmers are advised to buy only from reputable nurseries, carefully check plant and soil quality, and treat soil to eliminate pathogens before planting to reduce losses and ensure healthy growth.