Viet Nam Coffee by Robert W. Thruston

"Question: Did the World Bank encourage Vietnamese farmers to plant coffee to the detriment of farmers in other coffee producing countries? 

Answer: Vietnamese coffee expansion began well before 1994. The Bank only began lending again in the rural sector in Vietnam after 1996. The Bank has supported Vietnam's very successful drive to grow its economt and reduce poverty, but none of its investments has been designed to promote coffee production."

-  The World Bank denied playing a major role in Vietnamese coffee expansion.
-  The World Bank's policies are designed to promote capitalism and privatization, but those goals appear to have fit well with the Vietnamese government's own plans after the late 1980s.

-  Serious challenges confront Vietnam as it tries to lower costs and improve coffee quality. "Vietnamese production is ... heavily dependent on INTENSIVE IRRIGATION and a MASSIVE USE OF INPUTS AND FERTILIZERS." The cost of farming this way, in terms of inputs and damage the land, cannot be sustained.
- WATER FOR IRRIGATION is becoming a precious and expensive resource. According to the Vietnamese Coffee & Cocoa Association (Vicofa), some 137,000 hectares of old and low-quality coffee trees need to be replaces, accounting for more than 25% of the total area in coffee.
==> So the total area in coffee is equal: 137,000 x 4 = 548,000 hectares.
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Tomorrow, I need to read:
Roasting - Developing Flavor in the Bean.