Gia Lai Province drives EUDR Compliance with IDH’s support
On 9 April 2024, in Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of Gia Lai Province, in collaboration with IDH Vietnam, successfully organised a workshop titled "Implementing Actions to Adapt to the European Deforestation Regulations - EUDR". The workshop saw the participation of over 100 representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development departments, including Forestry and Horticulture, as well as functional departments, branches, districts, and towns in the region. The event also welcomed industry associations and notably featured the engagement of coffee production and trading enterprises nationwide. This is one of IDH’s efforts to convene the province to kick off solutions in compliance with the EUDR.
During the workshop, the Forestry Department representatives introduced the EUDR Action Plan Framework by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the methodology for establishing a "Forest Database" in line with EUDR requirements. Furthermore, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Gia Lai Province provided insights into the anticipated impact of EUDR on the agricultural and forestry sectors in the region. They also outlined an actionable framework to ensure compliance with EUDR requirements in Gia Lai Province, particularly in the upcoming period.
Looking ahead, the Department plans to designate a key district to pilot the implementation of measures aligning with EUDR standards. Additionally, IDH Vietnam presented strategies and approaches for building the Production Region Information Database - EUDR. It pledged support in advising on technical solutions and roadmaps and fostering public-private sector collaboration in the area.
Following productive discussions, coffee production and trading entities committed to contribute human and financial resources to aid the Province in executing the EUDR implementation roadmap. Gia Lai currently stands as the third province in the Central Highlands to formally embark on implementing solutions to meet EUDR. Notably, in June 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of five Central Highlands provinces, industry associations, and relevant international partners to advance sustainable production practices that do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation.
In his address at the conference, Mr Doan Ngoc Co, Deputy Director of the Gia Lai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasised the significance of coffee as a key crop in the province and detailed the challenges faced in sustaining production; "Coffee is one of the province's key crops and is grown in 10/17 localities in the province, with a total area of currently has 105,840 hectares. Coffee products are the province's main export agricultural products. In 2023, it is estimated that 240,000 tons of coffee exports will reach 240,000 tons, corresponding to an export turnover of 490 million USD, accounting for nearly 71% of the province's total export turnover. Coffee production has created livelihoods and stable jobs for hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect workers, including many ethnic minorities. However, Gia Lai Coffee is also facing many difficulties. The biggest challenge is the small scale of production, accounting for about 85% of the coffee area managed by farmers, so the problem of locating plantations is also considerable. Traceability faces many difficulties". He underscored the essential role of collaboration between public and private sectors along the value chain in ensuring sustainable coffee cultivation, expressing gratitude for IDH's facilitative role in swiftly coordinating efforts to respond to EUDR guidelines.
