The sad end of coffee cultivation in Phu Quy region.

Mark of memory

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the colonization of Indochina was at its peak, the French colonialists realized...Phu Quy areaNghe An province has a climate and soil suitable for growing and developing industrial crops originating from Latin America such as coffee, rubber, tea, tung tree, oranges, pineapples, etc. Therefore, from around 1913, the colonial government pressured the feudal authorities to seize land and establish a vast plantation area of ​​tens of thousands of hectares in the Phu Quy region to grow coffee.

In a short period, French plantation owners and a few Vietnamese individuals acquired approximately 15,498 hectares of land, primarily for forestry and coffee cultivation. Among them were plantation owners with large land holdings such as: Walther, owning 6,000 hectares in Dong Hieu and Tay Hieu (Nghia Dan); Saintard, owning 500 hectares in Nghia Hop (Nghia Dan); and Lapic et Société Company in Nghia Hung (Nghia Dan) with 7,560 hectares... After acquiring the land, the plantation owners developed specialized coffee-growing areas such as: Nai Sinh and Tram Lui (Dong Hieu); Ba Trieu (19/5 Farm area); Hung Lam, Cao Trai, Quan Mit, Phu Thuan, and Cat Mong (Tay Hieu). The coffee from these plantations is mainly exported to France under the label "Arabica du Tonkin" (Arabica coffee from Tonkin), and its quality is considered comparable to that of Brazil and Colombia.

After the August Revolution of 1945, the French fled, and vast plantations spanning hundreds or thousands of hectares were nationalized into the Phu Quy National Plantation. In 1956, the Phu Quy National Plantation was divided into two state-owned farms: Dong Hieu Farm and Tay Hieu Farm. At this time, coffee was the main crop, covering the red basalt soil with a lush green. Mentioning Phu Quy immediately brings to mind coffee, and the saying "South Dak Lak, North Phu Quy" clearly illustrates the coffee-growing region.

According to engineer Le Dinh Dinh, who has been associated with the Tay Hieu Tropical Crop Experiment Station (under the Institute of Industrial Crops - Ministry of Agriculture) and now the Phu Quy Fruit and Industrial Crop Research Center since the early days of taking over the French plantations, the Phu Quy area has more than 13,400 hectares of basalt soil, which has become a prime location in Nghe An suitable for coffee cultivation. During the French colonial period, a French plantation owner even built a research station in the Cao Trai area, also known as "Station de Cao Trai" (now Cao Trai village, Nghia Thanh commune, Nghia Dan district), covering hundreds of hectares, solely for studying soil quality and experimenting with different coffee varieties. Initially, Robusta and Arabica coffee varieties were planted in Phu Quy, but they were not very effective. It was only after they successfully researched and introduced Arabica coffee that the resulting fruit was fragrant and delicious, gaining recognition and popularity in many countries around the world.

The defining characteristic of Arabica coffee beans is that they lack the intense bitterness of Robusta coffee beans and the sour aftertaste of Liberica coffee. The bitterness of Arabica coffee beans is both stimulating and smooth, and its aroma is particularly captivating. Arabica coffee plants are grown in many localities such as Lam Dong, Dak Lak, and Quang Tri, but their flavor is unlike that of Phu Quy.

“With Arabica coffee plants, altitude affects quality, so scientists often recommend growing them at altitudes above 600m, even 1,000m. However, in Phu Quy, areas specializing in Arabica coffee cultivation have altitudes of only 50-80m, yet the plants still grow well and produce a delicious flavor that is favored by the market,” emphasized engineer Le Dinh Dinh.

Engineer Dinh also mentioned that during his time working there, many foreign delegations and overseas Vietnamese visited Phu Quy to learn about coffee. In 1990, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Egypt visited the Phu Quy region. Even an overseas Vietnamese in France, a descendant of a plantation owner in Phu Quy who now owns a coffee business in Paris, came here to learn about the type of coffee his family once grew there. However, the most regrettable thing is that Phu Quy coffee has not been able to build its own brand or specific geographical indication. Now that the coffee plant has officially disappeared, the longing for a unique coffee brand from Phu Quy remains a persistent concern for those who love this land.

A sad ending

There were times when coffee was identified as a key industrial crop of Nghe An province. In particular, out of more than 13,400 hectares of red basalt soil in the Phu Quy region, over 7,000 hectares were planted with coffee. At one point, the area under coffee cultivation was even projected to expand to 9,400 or 10,000 hectares to achieve a yield of 9,300 to 10,000 tons of green coffee beans.

However, coffee plants in Phu Quy could not withstand the harsh practical conditions, especially soil degradation, various pests and diseases, and the overuse of pesticides, which caused a sharp decline in coffee cultivation area. Besides the dramatic drop in coffee cultivation area from approximately 7,000 hectares to 500 hectares in 2005-2006 and further to just over 100 hectares in 2012-2013, what surprised many even more is that coffee plants have now completely disappeared.

Mr. Hoang Thanh Tung, Deputy General Director of Nghe An Coffee and Rubber Company Limited, shared: "Previously, mentioning Tay Hieu 1, Tay Hieu 2, and Dong Hieu meant mentioning coffee trees. But in the last 10 years, coffee trees have gradually been replaced by short-term crops that provide stable income such as cassava, sugarcane, and some high-value industrial crops like rubber... Not to mention, for a long time, due to the overuse of pesticides, the soil has been degraded, while the life cycle of a coffee tree is only about 20-30 years. If not properly cared for, it will not yield high productivity."

Mr. Tung also shared that in Phu Quy, Arabica coffee is the most suitable variety, but it has the characteristic of low yield, flowers bloom in clusters, and the fruit must be picked individually instead of being stripped like other coffee varieties. Therefore, the labor for care and harvesting is greater. For the same area, growing Arabica coffee costs more than other coffee varieties. This is also the reason why this crop has declined. Not to mention, many people prioritize profit and have planted quick-harvest crops like cassava, sugarcane, and fodder crops rather than coffee.

We asked if it would be possible to restore coffee cultivation in Phu Quy someday. Mr. Tung sighed and said, "If we had the funding, maybe it would be possible!..."

What worries Mr. Tung is which coffee variety to use and how to plan his strategy. Replanting coffee means starting the entire cycle from planting, caring for, harvesting, to building a product distribution chain and establishing a brand… How many people would be willing to spend 4-5 years building the infrastructure only to wait for the coffee plants to yield a harvest, and even then, they're not sure if it can compete with other coffee varieties? Not to mention, in recent years, coffee prices have fluctuated erratically, making it very difficult for coffee growers to patiently invest.

The reasons mentioned above are what have led to the gradual disappearance of coffee plants from Phu Quy – a place where, more than 100 years ago, it was a crop that brought prestige to this basaltic red soil region. However, this is also a major lesson for the agricultural sector in planning land use and crop structure appropriately. As engineer Le Dinh Dinh observed, "if people hadn't chased short-term gains but focused on developing planned areas, carefully caring for coffee plants, and building a systematic brand, they wouldn't have lost coffee as they have now."