In 2024, Tuần Giáo planted 1,032.7 hectares of coffee, bringing the total coffee plantation area to 1,578.71 hectares. Of this, 491.9 hectares are harvested, yielding an estimated 700 tons of coffee, with expected revenue from coffee in 2024 ranging from VND 10.5 to 13.5 billion. For 2025, the district aims to plant an additional 2,000 hectares of coffee, focusing on the communes of Tỏa Tình, Tênh Phông, Quài Tở, Chiềng Sinh, Quài Cang, Pú Nhung, Quài Nưa, Mùn Chung, and Mường Mùn.

To achieve the goal of expanding coffee cultivation, the first and most important step is gaining consensus from people on changing the crop structure on their fields. The district established communication teams with hundreds of key members from district and commune departments, unions, and organizations. These teams directly informed the 162 villages across 18 communes, attracting over 17,700 participants. As a result, the understanding and confidence of people in the economic benefits of coffee have been significantly improved. To date, 3,900 households in the district have registered to plant coffee, covering a total of about 3,000 hectares, exceeding the initial plan by 1,000 hectares.

With people’s agreement in place, Tuần Giáo faced another difficult challenge - the lack of investment capital. Since all the funding from national target programs had already been allocated to the development of macadamia trees, the district needed to find alternative funding sources.

After several meetings, Tuần Giáo decided to use VND 500 million provided by TH Group to purchase coffee seeds, which would then be distributed to local people to grow their own seedlings. At the same time, the district called on local businesses and individuals to support with funding and equipment for seedling production. This approach has provided dual benefits: reducing costs and creating new opportunities for people to acquire new skills.

Since late 2024, the Tuần Giáo district People’s Committee has directed professional agencies to organize technical training for locals, covering everything from seed soaking, soil mixing, sand screening, to creating seedling pots. Once the cooperative groups and households were familiar with the process, in December 2024, the district’s Agricultural Service Center distributed more than 3.3 tons of seeds to 157 cooperatives and thousands of households to start the seedling process.

Currently, in the Pha Nàng village nursery (Quài Nưa commune), locals have successfully propagated more than 150,000 coffee seedlings, enough to supply 51 households for new planting and replanting at a technical density of 3,000 trees per hectare.

Lường Văn Thọng, head of Pha Nàng village, shared: “In the past, local people were used to receiving ready-made seedlings for planting. This year, the district only provided seeds, and people had to propagate the seedlings themselves. Initially, everyone was unfamiliar with the process, but with the training and learning from the cooperatives, especially the nursery in Tỏa Tình commune, we have gradually mastered the techniques of soaking, selecting seeds, and identifying pests. Now, our nursery is ready to supply seedlings for the planting season in July.”

Tỏa Tình commune is considered the coffee capital of Tuần Giáo. To date, coffee cultivation has spread across all seven villages of the commune, covering a total of 813.58 hectares, with 481.65 hectares currently yielding stable harvests.

After many years of cultivating coffee, people of Tỏa Tình have mastered the entire production process, from propagating seedlings, caring for the plants, pest control, to harvesting. Currently, the nurseries of local households and groups are busy preparing seedlings for the new planting season. The seeds are carefully selected and grown under optimal conditions. Once the seedlings have two pairs of leaves, they are transferred into soil pots and carefully tended until they are ready for planting during the rainy season.

This year, the family of Vừ A Tú from Chế Á village (Tỏa Tình commune) has successfully propagated about 17,000 coffee seedlings. This amount is enough to plant 3-4 hectares of coffee on his farm and supply other households in the area. Tú shared: “Since March, people have started propagating seedlings, and by July, during the peak rainy season, we will begin planting and aim to complete it within a month.”

According to the plan, in 2025, Tỏa Tình commune will plant 85 hectares of new coffee. At present, people there are busy preparing the soil, seeds, and getting ready for the new planting season, continuing their journey of turning the hillsides green with the hopes and prosperity that coffee brings.

Nguyễn Thị Nga, Director of the Tuần Giáo district’s Agricultural Service Center, said: “This year, the entire district plans to plant 3,000 hectares of new coffee, exceeding the initial target by 1,000 hectares. All of the land will be planted by people themselves. About 2,300 hectares will be supported by the district with seeds sourced from socialized funding for people to propagate, while the remaining 700 hectares will have seeds and techniques provided by people themselves. To date, the cooperatives, cooperatives groups, and households have successfully propagated the seedlings, and the plants are being carefully tended, ready to be planted in July.”

Successfully propagating seedlings to ensure the planting of 3,000 hectares of coffee will not only help Tuần Giáo exceed its 2025 target but also save the local people and the district millions of VND. More importantly, this approach has helped change the mindset of people, from relying on support to actively propagating seedlings and preparing for planting. This is not only a technical change but also a shift in awareness, opening up opportunities for Tuần Giáo to become a key area for industrial crops, where local people can thrive right on their homeland.