Trouble brewing over coffee quality

HANOI - Coffee quality is becoming a hot issue after a Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (VICOFA) representative revealed a staggering increase in rejected product.

From October 2005 to March 2006, about 88% of the coffee rejected on the world market was from Vietnam, said Doan Trieu Nhan, deputy chairman of VICOFA, during a meeting organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

This was a 19% increase from the previous six-month period, he said.

Ministry experts blame the decline in quality on farmers mixing unripe and ripe beans during harvest. In addition, farmers are not properly drying the beans after harvesting, which reduces the overall quality.

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