Struggling With Early-Ripening Coffee Colliding With Heavy Rains

Unseasonal Weather Triggers Early Ripening

In recent days, many coffee farmers in Tân Phú District (Đồng Nai Province) have started their harvest almost a month earlier than usual. A mix of unseasonal rains, prolonged wet weather, and other factors have caused coffee cherries to ripen prematurely, forcing growers to pick crops during a period of frequent heavy rainfall.

Farmers Struggle with Falling Cherries and High Labor Costs

Rising Costs for Early Harvest

At his one-hectare plantation in Khu 12, Tân Phú Town, farmer Đoàn Văn Chín carefully gathers ripe coffee cherries that have already fallen to the ground. Normally, his coffee would not be ready yet, but this year he had to hire workers to harvest early to avoid losses from fallen cherries.

“Right now, the main difficulty is the heavy rainfall,” Mr. Chín said. “When ripe coffee isn’t picked in time and meets continuous rain, the cherries fall off. Many farms must pay workers to collect the fallen fruit, but labor costs are now extremely high—about 100,000 VND per day. A worker collecting fallen cherries can only gather about 5 kg a day, so at that rate, the profit for growers is minimal.”

Uneven Flowering and Reduced Yields

In Ấp 7, Phú Lộc Commune, farmer Nguyễn Văn Châu reported that his 1.2-hectare coffee orchard, now in its third fruiting year, is producing less than last season.

“Last year I harvested over three tons, but this year I will likely harvest less,” Châu said. “Unseasonal rains last year caused the coffee to flower unevenly, with some trees blooming four or five times. As a result, the cherries are ripening unevenly and harvesting has become much more difficult.”

Châu added that many plantations in the commune are covered with fallen ripe cherries, forcing farmers to hire extra labor. Last year he harvested in late October, but this year by August he had to begin picking. The persistent rains caused cherries to ripen quickly and fall across the ground, complicating collection and increasing costs.

Technical Insights from Agricultural Experts

Causes of Early Ripening

According to Nguyễn Lý Tuấn Anh, technical officer at the Tân Phú Agricultural Extension Center, the district has 2,491 hectares of coffee. In previous years, the main harvest typically began in mid-November. This year, however, several factors—including fertilizer applied at the wrong time, out-of-season rains last year that triggered early flowering, and a longer rainy season—have led to sporadic and uneven ripening, forcing farmers to harvest earlier than normal.

Challenges of Early Harvest

Tuấn Anh noted that early harvesting is challenging due to the difficulty of drying and storing coffee during continuous rains, coupled with rising labor costs.

Recommended Solutions for Future Crops

To prevent uneven ripening and reduce losses in future seasons, Tuấn Anh recommends that coffee growers:

• Apply fertilizers at the proper time to avoid premature flowering.

• Regulate irrigation so coffee trees flower in only one or two waves, reducing the problem of scattered blooms.

Proper timing and irrigation management will help maintain higher yields and quality, lower harvesting costs, and ultimately protect farmers’ profits.