Gia Lai (VNA) –The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai has provided free coffee seedlingsand farming techniques for local farmers in an effort to replace old,unproductive coffee trees.

Gia Lai, which is one of thecountry’s largest coffee producers, has about 94,000ha of coffee trees.

Of the figure, trees on14,000ha are old and need to be replaced by 2020, according to the provincialDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In 2015-2017, the province hasreplaced more than 6,000ha of old coffee trees with new trees.

This year, the province hasreplanted nearly 2,000ha, meeting nearly 90 percent of its target of 2,300hafor the year.

To reach its goal, thedepartment has provided free TR4, TR9 and TRS1 seedling varieties to farmers.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Lan from Chu Prongdistrict’s Ia Drang commune said she had received new seedlings to replace hercoffee trees that were planted 20 years ago.

Nguyen Van Gap, head of Chu Prongdistrict’s Agriculture and Rural Development Division, said the districttargeted replacing 2,000 ha of old coffee trees by 2020. Of the target, 400hawould be replanted with new trees this year, he said.

Local farmers had registered toreplant 481ha of coffee so far this year, up 30 percent against this year’splan, he said.

Under the province’s programmeto replace old trees, several companies are working with farmers to produceorganic coffee.

The Gia Lai-based Vinh HiepCompany Limited, for instance, is working with 4,000 farmers to plant 5,000haof organic coffee in Dak Doa, Chu Se, Chu Prong and Ia Grai districts.

Ha Ngoc Uyen, head of theprovince’s Plant Cultivation and Protection Sub-department, said the replantingof old coffee in the province would reach a total of about 8,500ha this year.

Over the past three years, theDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development in cooperation with agencieshas provided farming techniques to more than 4,500 farmers, including 1,800ethnic minority farmers.

The province has alsoestablished 14 coffee cultivation models for farmers to visit, and is settingup 18 other coffee farming models and 15 model coffee orchards.

To improve farmers’ incomes,the province is also encouraging farmers to intercrop fruit and otherindustrial trees in replanted coffee orchards.

Farmers have intercroppedfruits and other industrial trees in more than 4,200ha of coffee. Theintercropped plants are durian, avocado, jack fruit, mango, rambutan, pepperand cashew.

The intercropping providesshade and wind shields for coffee trees and prevents water evaporation in thesoil, helping coffee trees to develop well, according to agricultural experts.

Pham Ngoc Co, head of the MangYang District Agriculture and Rural Development Division, said intercroppinghelped farmers have more income when coffee prices are low.-VNA