Dak Lak (VNA) -  The opening ceremony of the 8th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival took place in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak – dubbed ‘Vietnam’s coffee capital’ – on  March 10 evening.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang pointed to both achievements and shortcomings of the coffee sector. In 2022, Vietnam's coffee exports neared 1.8 million tonnes worth about 4 billion USD, hence a second place in the world ranking, only after Brazil. However, challenges remain, including the exports’ low value and raw form, small production scale, and restricted deep processing.

He stressed that in order to raise the value and characteristics of Vietnamese agricultural products and improve the lives of farmers, it requires the consensus and involvement of the entire political system, business community and people.

Noticing localities’ initiative and creativity to refresh farming methods, product advertisement, and trade promotion, Quang expressed his belief that Vietnamese farm produce in general and Vietnamese coffee in particular will increasingly assert their quality, prestige, and brand, obtaining a strong position in the domestic and international markets.

Pham Ngoc Nghi, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the biennial national festival is a place to converge and honour coffee growers, producers, processors and traders from across the nation.

The event is set to feature myriad trade promotion, cultural, and art activities, the official added.

Earlier on the same day, the Dak Lak authorities held a ceremony to welcome foreign diplomatic corps and delegations from Mongolia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Angola, Cambodia, Cuba, Laos, and Russia.

At the reception, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Tuan Ha hoped the foreign diplomats and and businesses will further promote the cooperation with Dak Lak, introduce the locality to potential investors, and help popularise the Buon Ma Thuot coffee brand in particular and Vietnam's specialty coffee in general to international friends.

Armenian Ambassador to Vietnam Vahram Kazhoyan said this is the first time he has come to Dak Lak and is very pleased to witness and listen to stories from producers, growers, processors and producers in the coffee industry.

Saying the province possesses lots of potential for cooperation in various fields, he affirmed that his embassy will work to step up join works between Armenia and Vietnam, especially Dak Lak, in the near future./.