Vietnam’s top coffee-growing region escapes worst of typhoon

Vietnam’s biggest coffee-producing province of Dak Lak appears to have dodged the worst of Typhoon Kalmaegi, according to initial assessments by an industry group after the storm made landfall overnight.

“So far, it doesn’t appear to be too serious,” said Trinh Duc Minh, the chairman of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association in Dak Lak. “We’re still gathering information on the extent of the damage.”

Kalmaegi dissipated quickly after hitting the coast early Thursday evening with tree-snapping winds. There were concerns that heavy rainfall and strong gusts would damage coffee plants across the Central Highlands, just after farmers started harvesting Vietnam’s biggest crop in four years.

Of the coffee regions, Gia Lai province was the hardest hit, according to the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, known as Vicofa. It sits to the north of Dak Lak and is the country’s third-biggest growing area. Vietnam is the world’s largest producer of robusta, the variety that is used for instant drinks.

The typhoon impact “wasn’t too bad,” said Nguyen Ngoc Truc, a coffee farmer in Gia Lai. “A few trees had broken branches and some leaves and cherries had fallen, but overall the damage was minor. The peak harvest will start in about two to three weeks, and if it rains a lot then, that could be a real problem as it would affect the drying process.”

While the deadly typhoon has passed, Vietnam’s weather agency warned of more rain across the Central Highlands on Friday, which could lead to flash flooding and landslides in some areas.

Robusta futures in London rallied earlier this week on jitters about the potential impact of the storm, before tumbling on Thursday after data signaled robust Vietnamese coffee shipments in October.