Across Gia Lai province, mealybug infestations have spread to about 2,610 hectares of coffee. To prevent the pest from spreading further, the provincial Plant Protection and Crop Production Sub-Department is working closely with local authorities to guide farmers in effective control measures.
Rising Mealybug Pressure in Coffee Farms
Gia Lai, home to over 100,600 hectares of mostly Robusta coffee, is now in the flowering and young-fruit stage. Local reports show that mealybug damage on coffee trees is increasing.
While pruning wilted coffee branches, Nguyen Thi Huynh of Village 3, Nghia Hoa commune (Chu Pah district) said:
“This year’s weather has been erratic—since harvest time there hasn’t been a single rain. On my one-hectare coffee plot, some trees have been attacked by mealybugs, with about 10% of the branches dying. My family is already taking measures to stop the pest from spreading across the entire garden.”
Le Thi Ngoc Son, Deputy Director of the Chu Pah District Agricultural Service Center, noted about 17 hectares of coffee in the district have been affected. The combination of intermittent sunny days, heavy cloud cover, and chilly early mornings has created ideal conditions for mealybugs to thrive, causing branch dieback and also encouraging diseases like leaf rust.
“The center has sent written notices to communes and townships, urging farmers to monitor and control pests promptly. We also advise that after spraying pesticides, farmers must not discard empty containers or packaging indiscriminately but collect and dispose of them properly to protect the environment,” Son emphasized.
In Dak Doa district, Le Tan Hung, Director of the local Agricultural Service Center, explained that prolonged hot days followed by cool nights and dry, windy afternoons create a perfect environment for mealybugs to infest coffee flower clusters and young berries. Surveillance has already found scattered infestations in communes such as Kdang, Hnol, and Tan Binh, and the pest is expected to spread further in the coming days.
Understanding the Pest and Its Damage
According to Tran Xuan Khai, Head of the provincial Plant Protection and Crop Production Sub-Department, the mealybug is a common coffee pest. It typically appears from flowering through harvest, with peak damage in the dry season and early rainy season. Mealybugs cluster on young shoots, branches, flower clusters, and roots to suck plant sap, causing wilting, flower drop, and premature fruit loss.
Severely infested coffee trees often develop a black sooty mold that coats leaves and reduces photosynthesis, leading to yellowing foliage and gradual fruit drop. Mealybugs also injure fruit stems, making them vulnerable to fungal infection and large-scale fruit rot. Under prolonged hot, dry conditions, heavily infested trees can wither and even die.
Recommended Control Measures
To contain the outbreak, Khai urged local governments, coffee enterprises, and state farms to guide farmers in the following practices:
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Regular orchard sanitation: prune diseased or unproductive branches, suckers, and low-hanging limbs to keep canopies airy, reduce nutrient loss, and limit pest habitat.
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Frequent monitoring: inspect coffee plots regularly to detect early signs of mealybug presence and density for timely treatment.
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Targeted chemical control: when mealybugs first appear in isolated spots, mark and spray only affected trees and branches to save cost and reduce environmental impact.
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High-pressure water spray: during irrigation, use strong water jets on branches, flower clusters, and berries to wash off dry petals and break the mealybugs’ waxy coating before applying pesticides, which makes treatments more effective.
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Full-field spraying only when necessary: if mealybugs reach high density and threaten wide areas, treat the entire infected plot.
By taking these proactive steps, Gia Lai farmers aim to protect their coffee crops from mealybug damage and safeguard both yield and quality.