Just as coffee growers in Gia Lai Province were recovering from worries about falling prices and drought, a new pest outbreak has emerged—posing a serious risk to the province’s vital coffee industry. Roughly 500 hectares of coffee are now under severe attack by an unidentified insect, and experts warn that the affected area could expand rapidly if not contained.
Widespread Pest Pressure in Gia Lai
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According to the Gia Lai Plant Protection Sub-Department, nearly 25,000 hectares of coffee are currently affected by various pests:
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7,300 ha with mealybugs
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7,700 ha with green scale insects
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8,000 ha with coffee leaf rust
These issues typically appear after each irrigation cycle and are usually manageable.
An Alarming New Pest Emerges
The most serious concern is the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar insect. Provincial reports show about 480 ha of coffee are infested:
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Chư Prông: 65 ha
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Đức Cơ: 15 ha
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Ia Grai: 400 ha
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Nông Trường 706: 300 ha
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Nông Trường Ia Sao: 100 ha
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The pest is green, about the thickness of a finger, and has not yet been given a formal scientific name.
Expert Observations
Hà Ngọc Uyển, head of the Plant Protection Sub-Department, said the insect’s emergence is linked to the prolonged drought. The pests live in swarms and tend to attack coffee in localized clusters.
Samples have been sent to the Department of Plant Protection in Hanoi for identification.
Farmers’ Struggle on the Front Lines
New Feeding Behavior
Local farmer Lê Bảo from Ia Sao commune (Ia Grai district) shared:
“They resemble a caterpillar we used to call the ‘sweet potato worm,’ which once fed only on sweet potato leaves, hibiscus, and some forest plants. Now they eat the young shoots of coffee trees and then the leaves, weakening the plants and stunting their growth.”
His family has been staying up at night to monitor their 2 ha coffee plot, as the pests feed only in the early morning and at dusk—making control very difficult.
Costly Control Measures
Farmer Phạm Văn Tân of Chánh Trạch 2 hamlet (Ia Kha township, Ia Grai) was spraying insecticide on his nearly 2 ha coffee field:
“This is the first time I’ve seen this pest. They attack at a density of three to five insects per tree. My field is lightly affected compared to others, where the leaves are stripped, leaving only the young fruit.”
Tân spent 1.2 million VND on FM TOX 50EC insecticide and hired labor to spray. While he was relieved to see the insects die, he worries they might return.
Livelihoods at Risk
For Lê Hữu Chánh, a coffee grower in Chư Prông, the family’s livelihood depends on their nearly 2 ha plantation:
“Our household relies on coffee for everything—from food and daily living to the children’s schooling. Last season we suffered losses because of low prices, so I invested another 30 million VND in fertilizer, irrigation, pesticides, and pruning for this crop. Now the pests have stripped almost all the leaves, leaving only bare branches and a few young berries. I don’t know if the coming harvest will even cover our debts, let alone yield a profit.”
Urgent Need for Identification and Control
The Gia Lai Plant Protection Sub-Department has called for urgent scientific analysis and immediate solutions. Without rapid identification and control measures, the mysterious pest could spread beyond the current 500 hectares, threatening:
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Coffee yields and farmer incomes,
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The province’s economic stability, and
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Vietnam’s position as a leading robusta coffee exporter.
Gia Lai’s coffee industry—already stressed by price volatility and drought—faces a new and dangerous challenge. Until scientists identify the insect and recommend effective control strategies, thousands of coffee-farming families remain at risk of severe economic losses.